Bill; Be happy that your joiner rod rotates and consider it an asset instead of a liability. If you glue your joiner rod or pin it to the fuse, you'll cause structural damage to the wing or fuse if you hit anything hard. In fact, crushed leading edges or cracked fuselages can be caused even with a hard dork landing if the joiner rod isn't allowed to dissipate energy through rotation. The key is the fit of the joiner rod. I'll admit if the joiner rod is a loose fit, it can be a PITA to keep the wings from rotating. Of course, this requires constant adjustment and retaping. However, if the joiner rod is a tight fit, the only time it rotates is if you've hit something with a lot of energy which is best dissipated through joiner rod rotation. Of course, this assumes you're flying a glider which will allow you to tape all the way around the wing shoulder interface and this joint is secured with high quality tape ( I know this to be true in your case as you're flying a Compulsion with a 1/4" lip at the shoulder for proper taping). If your joiner rod is loose, then simply fill the gap between the fuse and the joiner rod with CA. Depending on the gap, you can use either thick or thin CA as appropriate. After the CA cures, then break the joiner rod loose with a pair of padded vise grips and you'll have a perfect fit. The goal is to have a joiner rod that will rotate, but not easily. With my Compulsion, I can make a series of hard dork landings into ground which is roughly the consistency of concrete this time of year and the worst that will happen is the tape will eventually start to split. This is the optimum solution for the continued durability of your glider. After all, which would you rather do; very occasionally retape your wing or repair a cracked fuselage or crushed leading edges?
Fred RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]

