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How to repair this flap?

dalemaher

Active Member
Flaps down after engine shutdown...didn't notice this until I was packing things up. It's only on pilot side. Don't think I hit the flap / put weight on it, but wouldn't swear to it. Either way, the flap skins aren't where they are supposed to be!

I didn't build the plane, so not sure about how things go together / come apart.

Is there a quick fix, does the flap have to come off, how does the flap come off??

Thanks

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You're not the first. You can probably fix the immediate problem just by using hand pressure to roll the front of the flap down and get it back under the upper wing skin, which is what is really damaged (I think). Once you've done that, the flap should retract. If the wing skin is bent, the next job would be to gently rebend the top wing skin so it is "flat" aft of the rear spar. You might need to detatch the allen screw that attaches the flap control rod to the flap in order to lower the flap far enough to fix the top skin. Then, use hand pressure to spring the front of the flap so it fits under the top skin, and reattach the flap pushrod.

The other correction is to adjust your flap throw so the flaps don't lower quite as far as they currently do - the way you get the damage you see is to slightly over-extend the flap where its leading edge pops out from under the top wing skin. Then, if you try and raise the flap, you have a problem. The flap over-extension problem can be a rigging problem or if you stepped on the flap and over-extended accidentally.
 
This happens more often than what is reported I think. What usually happens is that the flap gets hooked on the wing TE and then bends it when you select flaps up.

Do what Kyle has suggested, but I also roll the flap LE a bit more until it barely touches the wing TE skin.

Here is what it looked like on my RV when owned by the previous owner. He started the engine, tarted taxying and then lifted the flpas. I was standing a few feet away and it was one serious bang as it unhooked.
 

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Then after a temporary repair and the final repair when the RV went in for a repaint.
 

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Jan is right; This has happened to me too.

Each flap rod connects to the flap actuator/handle via a rod end bearing: It's just inside the fuselage side skin, just above the baggage floor, just behind each seat on the outboard side, if my memory is correct. Just disconnect that, and the flap can then hang down freely, 90 degrees vertically. At that point, it's easy to go to work on that wing skin trailing edge.

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Repair complete

Turned out to be a piece of cake!

I didn't build the plane, so everything I do to it is a learning process, and this one definitely looked worse than it actually was.

Side panel off to expose the flap rod / linkage rod, disconnect the rod, let the flap down and within 5 minutes, had it all tucked back under the overhanging wing skin and re-attached, panel back on.

I did several up and down tests to make sure there wasn't an alignment problem, measured the flap angle compared to the right side, both within 1 degree of each other.

Clearly it must have been me putting pressure on the flap when unloading and getting up/down off the wing.

Thanks again for the free advice!!
 
This is why you never park with the flaps ALL the way down. All it takes is someone to lean against the flap (to see in the cockpit) and the flap LE can pop over the wing TE. Happened to me at OSH, but I caught it and popped it back under. A very close call. Lesson learned.

No issue in the air with air loads acting on the flaps.
 
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