[aerohead]

Originally Posted by slopemeno

If you guys want to see just how violent flutter can be, go to Youtube and search "dynamic soaring". Its a way of flying model sailplanes off the back, or "lee" side of a ridge. Speeds have gone through the roof in the last 5 years, with the latest record being 357 mph with a 100" sailplane.

Back when they were just getting through the 200 mph range, planes would just "poof"- on second its screaming around the circle, the next it's confetti. The bottom line was seemingly solid control linkages were not, and what was strong enough for 100 mph frontside flying wasn't enough for the backside. The wing would flutter and disintegrate before the pilot could react.

NOW- guys have the number of what it takes to make one strong enough- sometimes
3X the layup of the first generation of the same plane.

Bottom line, the forces can be much higher than we think the are.

Yeah,the road confetti really sucks!