Quote:
Originally Posted by Machinbird
In general, mass should be added to surfaces at or slightly ahead of the local center of gravity of that section. There are a lot of knowledgeable and capable certified aircraft mechanics that do not understand this concept.
Mass distribution can be critical. 
Sid |
Sid,
Funny you should mention this, the flutter discussion has me looking at the documentation in various references regarding this very issue. I have the advantage of adding density of materials data to my CAD software to calculate this for me, but
I need to relearn the basics the old fashioned way. The control surfaces, (all four ailerons, the vertical stabilizer, as well as the rudder), are all early targets for fabrication on my project.
Your point regarding the addition of apparently subtle but potentially significant changes, is a reminder that these designs are likely best left as they were.