Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) |
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Along with undercarriages, flaps can be quite a challenge to rig in
an appropriate and reliable manner. A review of possible configurations
might be a good way to start.
![]()
![]() The most common effect of flap operation commented on (complained about) is the pitch up usually experienced on deployment. Flaps are fitted to enhance low speed handling so throttling back and slowing down before lowering the flaps may reduce the pitch up. Radios with flap/elevator mixing almost completely eliminate this problem. Flaps increase lift and therefore drag, making them useful for short, steep approaches. Airspeed needs to be watched to prevent overly high rates of descent leading to heavy landings. Flap Linkages The simplest flap mechanism is flaperons which requires an aileron servo in each wing mixed electronically to function as flaps as well. This setup is commonly seen in fun-fly machines, but any plane with strip ailerons can be set up this way. The two cases below show the more conventional inboard flap/outboard
aileron setup. Setups such as these allow flaps with broader chords. I
have read that such flaps (25-30% of wing chord) produce smaller pitch-ups
than narrower ones. Only experimentation would prove that. The
![]() These are but a few thoughts on the subject. Its an area where a great deal of experimentation can be carried out. Basic trainers lend themselves to this admirably and successful ideas can be used in scale models. A book worth reading is, "Control Systems" by Jim Newman. It may still be available from Model Airplane News Pilots Mart. |
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