REFLECTOR: Rudder flutter, winglet failure ....

[KeithHallsten]

Jim,

Yes, that was the first design of the wing & winglet imported from Brazil.
I am using the 2nd Generation winglet design on my plane.  The first design
had no spars or ribs or other internal structure in the winglets, so I use
the term "design" rather loosely.  Those winglets had inadequate torsional
stiffness.  Velocity hired an actual aeronautical engineer to redesign the
premolded skin & rib winglet, and replaced all the other 1st Generation
winglets with the 2nd Gen design before any of them flew.

The Brazilian subcontractor who made the premolded skin & rib wings and
winglets is now out of the picture.  I asked Scott Baker about it at the
Golden West Fly-In last weekend, and he confirmed that all Velocity wing
production is now foam-core.

Keith Hallsten


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Sower" <canarder at frontiernet.net>
To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 8:28 PM
Subject: REFLECTOR: Rudder flutter, winglet failure ....


> A while back I seem to recall some discussion about rudder flutter.  I
> was not close to the issue since the event was "before my time" in the
> Velocity world.  I seem to recall a new (ribbed and skinned?) wing and
> rudder flutter on first flight (by a Velocity test pilot / instructor?)
> that barely made it back to the field, ended up inverted in the grass,
> lucky as hell to be alive.
>
> Can someone help me out on the facts here?  I'm very murky on the whole
> thing, and probably clueless on specifics.
>
> Anyone recall the event and what /actually /happened? .... Jim S.
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