TECHNIQUE


FLAPS - a question of degree


Using them should be straightforward but sometimes it isn’t, and that’s led to incidents and accidents


I


t’s a comment pilots have heard me say many, many times, “Check your flaps visually! Don’t rely on the gauge or indicator”. So let’s have a look at


why it’s so important — and the possible consequences if you don’t. Unlike many of the other common types


(Piper, for example) Cessna has made several changes over the years with the way in which the flaps are selected by the pilot. Originally they were manually operated, but in the mid-Sixties Cessna changed to electric operation and as a result of this change the actual switch/lever mechanisms vary greatly and not just between different models (150/152/172/182 etc.) but even between aircraft of the same model. In addition, the flap indicator has had


several different designs and differing ➤ Summer 2018 CLUED UP 11


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