The plans have always called for only two rudder hinges, one is also the lower bellcrank, and the other is just a hinge. The three hinge thing came from Australia's aviation authorities, if I remember correctly, or at least the elevators gained a hinge per side from them. I'm not sure about the rudder. Dr. Dean and I may have been some of the first to go with three for the rudder, although two are probably fine in retrospect. More of that "beefing up" that I rail against...and I did a bit of it myself. All this stuff adds up to real weight in the end!
Having said this, I've seen plenty of KRs with more than 1/8" of play in the top hinge, but never heard of one fluttering. Still, it shouldn't be that tough to get the rudder off to rebush the hinges. It's unlikely that the steel bolt is worn...almost certainly the 1/8" thick aluminum would be the wear item... Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com http://www.n56ml.com
