Hi, i have a supersports 40(World Models) w/ .46 os. It's a low wing plane (52" wing span) which flies very nice, but has a tendancy to come in fast on landings. I have a limited amout of room to land which can make things alittle difficult. This plane does not come with flaps and uses 1 servo for ailerons which eliminates flaperons. I was thinking of making my own custon flaps. I would cut out small rectangles of the inner sections at the trailing edge of the main wings, create flaps out of thin pieces of plywood to fit the cut-outs,sand and thin out the trailing edge of the flap, cover them,hinge them in place. Then using a thin steel wire, attatch them together an hook up to one servo, which would be mounted in the wing. My reciever has 6 channels, so the extra servo wouldnt be a problem. My main concern would be the flight characteristics of the plane with the flaps in the down position. Of course they would have to increase drag, ulimately slowing the plane. Also, i would think if there is too much "flap surface", it may cause too much lift leading to a stall, or causing it to be just too unstable. Again, this plane wasnt designed with flaps. Do u think would be possible to do this, or would it be a disaster waiting to happen?
-Jamie

Your idea is fine.

I've made similar mods to planes like the old Great Planes "Ultra Sport" in the past, and later, rebuilt the wing to include normally-proportioned ailerons and slotted Fowler flaps. Both versions were acceptable.

This kind of modification is how a lot of us get started into scratch building, and won't make your plane "crazy" or "scary". Try them at high altitude first, and if you don't like what they do, then just leave them up. it's good to experiment. Have some fun!

If you decide to get "deep" into flaps, spoilers, etc., I have a few pages on my site dedicated to high-lift devices, at http://homepage.mac.com/mikejames/rc...ite/index.html

Also, see the thread just answered by "Tall Paul", with links to his methods. Lots of good info there! http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/KI%2...2427323/tm.htm

You might just want to add a set of split flaps to the bottom of the wing. You wouldn't even need to cut into the wing structure. Just take some 1/16" plywood and lay them along the buttom skin of the wing, hinged at the front. You don't have to go to a bunch of trouble to fit them into the outline of the wing. THis little thickness won't make a difference to the way the plane flies.

You could even hinge them with hinge tape at first, though a more secure method would be better over time. Just make sure the flap addition doesn't interfere with down aileron motion.

For a split flap diagram, take a look at : http://142.26.194.131/aerodynamics1/...ge5.html#plain

Scroll down a little more than half way and click on the "Extend Split Flap" button. That'll show you what I'm talking about.

Thanks guys for the info. I wouldnt be able to mount flaps inside the wing structure anyway because the aileron control rods are in the way. The rods are located about a half inch inside from the trailing edge. Good thing i noticed it, before i started cutting... So my only option would be to hinge them underneath the wing. I will look over everthing and do alittle brainstorming before i attempt anything. I will let ya know what i end up doing..
-Jamie

Johng,
That is a really good website. It is a goldmine of info! It is one of the better ones I have come across, and will be a great reference! Thanks