Deadly Flutter and How to Avoid It

Written by Gordon Buckland RC Soaring Column As seen in the May 2016 issue of Model Aviation. Have you seen a beautiful sailplane on tow suddenly break apart? The model probably appeared to be perfect and had been launched dozens of times before without any issues. This time, it seemed to disintegrate on tow. We sometimes hear a sailplane make an unmistakable machine gun-like fluttering noise as the pilot puts it through the “bucket.” The modeler is able to save the dying airframe by heroically landing it on flaps minus ailerons or elevator control (or both)…