Fin Retention
Bandit's (original)

In flight, there is a very minor vertical force component that is trying to pull the fin up from its fuselage mounting. The proper tightening of the set screw into the side of the fin post is many times more than enough force to overcome the vertical component. But, it must be tightened prior to flight. In the case of the steel post (later kits), it is necessary to file a small flat spot to give the set screw a "seat". With the early carbon fiber posts, the set screw made its own seat.

Two incidents prompted this notice

Hundreds of Bandits have logged thousands of flights over the past 7 years. We know of 2 occurrences of a problem. If the fin can ease upward enough to disengage the forward pin, it is going to leave the model.

The Fix

• Make sure that the set screw is tight before flight. This has been sufficient for thousands of flights.

and / or

• Delete the forward pin and replace it with an additional hold down bolt per the drawing below.