handyman

My Feedback: (2)

been flying for 30 yrs now and never got into flaps,,,,,,so now i have a plane with them and looking for some help as to flying and useing them,,,,,,,,,the plane is a high wing stix 72 in wing with eme 35,,,,any help would be great

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Start a little add a time and be ready to add some down elevator mix.

They create more drag (as well as increased lift at slow speed) so you will need a little more power on approach with them deployed.

jester_s1

Same advice here. If you'd consider full deflection to be around 40 degrees, start with about 10 degrees. Work out your elevator mix to keep the nose level when you deploy them, then go up to 20, 30, 40 degrees adjusting your mix as needed on the way. The big thing you'll notice with flaps is that the pitch becomes speed sensitive. So don't set the mix to make things right at cruising speed, but rather at the glide speed you'll use for approaches.

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

I would add to take it up high , slow down to half throttle , deploy the flaps and see how the plane reacts. If you are really lucky it will stay rather level and start to slow& drop. However you will probably see the nose pitch up As mentioned you can program some down elevator in to compensate.
Depending on your radio , you can program two or possibly three flap settings. I like to set a "partial" flap at around 10-20 degrees for take-offs and then a "full" flap for landing.
Deploy the flaps well into the down-leg run for landing. On final don't slow down too much and keep some power on until you see how the plane reacts on final to touchdown.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

There is another way to use flaps that is quite popular with many folks using various sticks especially the ones with four servo (and surfaces) wings.

It is an electronic mix that many of the more capable modern radios are able to do these days and it is called 'elevator to flap' mix. What this does is when up elevator is applied down flap is also applied conversely when down elevator is applied up flap (that is reflexed up above the intrail position) is applied. This is done in exactly the same manner as controlline stunt airplanes that have flaps.

The purpose is acheve tighter and more crisp loops both inside and outside and generally more positive elevator response at any speed.

Its lots of fun on most of the stick types and if you give it a go I would suggest starting with a 20% mix that can be switched off in flight. By twenty percent mix I mean when full up elevator is applied the flaps are down just twenty percent of the elevators throw.

John

Stick 40

I just started using flaps last summer, on a 50 size P51. It was a little fast coming in with out flaps.
but when I put flap on it nosed up.
Come to find out I needed down elev. to compensate for that.
I have a JR X9303 2.4 and used the auto land feature to put down elev. in with I put the flaps down. I even put in enough to cause the plane to nose down at low thro. you can even program it to put flaps down and elev. mix at a certain thro. setting
I like that better than pushing forward on the elev. as I tend to pitch the nose down two much and have to let off and I am into a up/down thing.
I would rather have to pull back and extend the landing if needed. I really like flaps , it slows it down a lot.
They say to only use about 20% flaps for take off.
Ya, I have been in for about 20 years or so and this is the first flaps plane I have had.
fun
sticks

TomCrump

Flying speed, at the instant of flap deployment, effects the way a model will react.

I had a model that would pitch the nose downward, if I was flying a little to fast at deployment. Once I learned the proper speed, there was no change in attitude when the flaps were deployed.

Stick 40

one other thing to keep in mind. When your coming in low and slow, get the flying speed back up before taking flaps off if you going around for another try at landing. Flaps give lift but also drag ( unless using Fouler flaps not sure that is spelled right). It would be best to practice this with some Alt for a couple of times

sticks

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Fowler

Yea, you don't want to suck up the flaps at too slow a speed. Increase power, establish a climb, then bring the flaps up.

Also, some radios allow you to set the speed of the servo, this is great for nice slow and realistic flap movement, and to minimize any abrupt trim changes.

opjose

Yup. A lot of fun with a Stik.

I found that the easiest way to get this and add fully controllable CROW, FLAPS and flaps as inboard ailerons on 8 channel+ JR/Spektrum radios, is to tell the transmitter that you are setting up a glider.

One servo is used per control surface and one channel per surface/servo.

This gives you programmable crow, snap flaps ( in both directions ) and flaps as inboard ailerons.

I set up my Giant Big Stik this way. It is fun to have all of these options available to the plane in flight.