Flight Training - September 2012 - 25
A PLETHORA OF FLAP FUNCTIONS
The simple act of extending the area of the wing grants numerous benefits. Flaps do all of the following: 1. INCREASE LIFT. When partially extended, flaps give more than they take. That allows for shorter takeoff runs and lower lift-off speeds. 2. INCREASE DRAG. Drag is not always a bad thing. When it’s time to slow down for landing, flaps are what allow us to push the nose down without speeding up. On fast airplanes, landing without flaps would take a massive runway. 3. LOWER STALL SPEED. Flaps increase the camber of the wing, which increases the coefficient of lift. The airplane will still stall at the same critical angle of attack, but at a lower airspeed.
to build, and aerodynamically they are simple and stable and pilot-friendly. But they also create quite a bit of aerodynamic drag. This is a huge impediment to speed. Swept wings, like those you see on jets, reduce the amount of aerodynamic drag. Further, just about every swept wing tapers toward the tip, giving it a sort of triangular appearance. This increases speed, but does little for low-speed handling. The answer, of course, is to have flaps. Unfortunately, traditional flaps are not enough. The answer? Leading-edge slats that extend down and out from the front of the wing, essentially increasing the curvature of the wing's leading edge. The benefit is that what is normally a high-speed wing now can provide an enormous amount of lift at (relatively) low speeds. A jet that can cruise at nearly 600 miles an hour can still use a runway shorter than 10,000 feet with takeoff speeds in the 140-to-150-knot range, and can approach at speeds as low as 120 to 130 knots when lightly loaded. In the airliner world, the Boeing 757 is one of the best short-field aircraft going. The secret is the overall design of the wing, especially the flaps and slats (slats extend as a part of the normal flap extension process; there is not a separate switch). Not all jets have or need slats. Straightwing jets don’t have them, and some business jets and small airliners like the Canadair RJ lines don’t have them. Such wings are called “hard wings.” The decision to leave them out may be driven by the mission (anticipated airport usage); by space (the wing may simply not be able
BECAUSE FLAPS INCREASE DRAG, a lower nose position is necessary to maintain a certain airspeed. So an approach at 65 knots will be much steeper with flaps than without. Better visibility over the nose and more terrain clearance are two benefits.
SEPTEMBER 2012 FLIGHT TRAINING
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Flight Training - September 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - September 2012
Flight Training - September 2012
Contents
President’s Perspective
Right Seat
Letters
Flying Low and Slow
How It Works
Success Story AOPA Summit News
After the Checkride
ASI News Tech Tip
Since You Asked
Training Products News
Flying Carpet
Give Yourself a Lift
Radiohead
Everything I Know About Flying I Learned in the Traffic Pattern
Technique
Weather
Checkride
Flight Lesson
Drone Incoming
Career Advisor
Tech Talk
You Can Do It
The Landing 'Time Machine'
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - September 2012 - Flight Training - September 2012
Flight Training - September 2012 - Cover2
Flight Training - September 2012 - Contents
Flight Training - September 2012 - 2
Flight Training - September 2012 - 3
Flight Training - September 2012 - President’s Perspective
Flight Training - September 2012 - 5
Flight Training - September 2012 - Right Seat
Flight Training - September 2012 - 7
Flight Training - September 2012 - Letters
Flight Training - September 2012 - 9
Flight Training - September 2012 - Flying Low and Slow
Flight Training - September 2012 - 11
Flight Training - September 2012 - How It Works
Flight Training - September 2012 - Success Story AOPA Summit News
Flight Training - September 2012 - After the Checkride
Flight Training - September 2012 - ASI News Tech Tip
Flight Training - September 2012 - Since You Asked
Flight Training - September 2012 - 17
Flight Training - September 2012 - Training Products News
Flight Training - September 2012 - 19
Flight Training - September 2012 - Flying Carpet
Flight Training - September 2012 - 21
Flight Training - September 2012 - Give Yourself a Lift
Flight Training - September 2012 - 23
Flight Training - September 2012 - 24
Flight Training - September 2012 - 25
Flight Training - September 2012 - 26
Flight Training - September 2012 - 27
Flight Training - September 2012 - Radiohead
Flight Training - September 2012 - 29
Flight Training - September 2012 - 30
Flight Training - September 2012 - 31
Flight Training - September 2012 - Everything I Know About Flying I Learned in the Traffic Pattern
Flight Training - September 2012 - 33
Flight Training - September 2012 - 34
Flight Training - September 2012 - 35
Flight Training - September 2012 - Technique
Flight Training - September 2012 - 37
Flight Training - September 2012 - Weather
Flight Training - September 2012 - 39
Flight Training - September 2012 - 40
Flight Training - September 2012 - Checkride
Flight Training - September 2012 - 42
Flight Training - September 2012 - 43
Flight Training - September 2012 - Flight Lesson
Flight Training - September 2012 - Drone Incoming
Flight Training - September 2012 - Career Advisor
Flight Training - September 2012 - 47
Flight Training - September 2012 - Tech Talk
Flight Training - September 2012 - You Can Do It
Flight Training - September 2012 - The Landing 'Time Machine'
Flight Training - September 2012 - 51
Flight Training - September 2012 - Advertiser Index
Flight Training - September 2012 - 53
Flight Training - September 2012 - 54
Flight Training - September 2012 - 55
Flight Training - September 2012 - Debrief
Flight Training - September 2012 - Cover3
Flight Training - September 2012 - Cover4
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