I am building a CH 750 cruzer, which has a typical rudder with a horn on the top part. My understanding is Zenith used to put a weight there to balance the rudder, but stopped the practice as it was heavy (I believe about 4 lbs based on the weight of the rudder) and apparently deemed not necessary. However, as I fly at high altitude I am putting a turbo in and will be pushing VNE if interpreted as a TAS limit (they don’t specify IAS or TAS). So, I am planning on putting at least some weight there to move the static balance closer to the hinge line. The rudder weighs about 4.5 lbs without paint, I would guess at least 4 of those are behind the hinge. I could put 2 lbs of lead in the horn area, my thought is this would improve flutter margin without adding the full weight. It’s not the most robust rib that would be holding the weight so I’m somewhat hesitant to put the full 4 lbs up there.
I understand horizontal surfaces are more subject to flutter, and at 130 knots this is not a speed demon, so I‘m wondering if this is worth the trouble or if bringing the rudder only closer to in balance might actually be counterproductive.
I understand horizontal surfaces are more subject to flutter, and at 130 knots this is not a speed demon, so I‘m wondering if this is worth the trouble or if bringing the rudder only closer to in balance might actually be counterproductive.
