Hi Gang,
I was going through the TH catalog and I looked at the large RTF trainer TH has.
Can someone tell me what the purpose of the drooped leading edge on the wing tip is supposed to do
Thanks
Vegas/

To lower the stall speed of certain airframe, i.e. you can fly slower and still do not stall the plane and go to
spin-recovery probelms which is not possible when you are near ground; thus those things are mostly
pretty useful for landing. If the design is goow and size sufficient that could lowr the stall speed with
about up to 17%; i.e. in general increase the eficiency of the flight. Some professionla guys could tell
more for sure what is written in the books for Airplane Desing- definitely it is well studied topic.

Sorry for the delay but I just located the post.
I looked at that wing and it reminded me of the commercial planes that have a leading edge flap that drops down.
Being their built into the wing tips I can only assume they produce more drag and allow for better turns.
Seems a bit big for a .46 engine.
I was thinking of getting that and modify the wing and reduce the dihedral just a bit
I think it's a bit over priced since the other BIG trainer is about $100.00 less.
I'll have to look into that.
Thanks for responding/
Vegas/

In NexSTAR they are removable. Of course they produce more drag, but mainly they are designed to produce more lift
and in some big aircrafts they are controleable. Have a look at the modern-jets big/small ones - you will find them there
almost always even in high-speed/ultrasonic ones. It is good idea to learn the behaviour of the airplane with them and
when you are confortable enough with that particular plane, then remove them.
Cheers,
Nick

Hi Nick,
If you read my post I did say the commercial planes have leading edge flaps.
I appreciate the info,.
I never knew on that trainer those ends were removable.
I guess thats what pushed the price up.
I need something big and not to fast to pull off about 2 pounds of ham radio gear.
I think this trainer will do the job.
Thanks for responding.
Vegas/

If you want big and slow for lifting a couple of pounds of gear, look at a sig kadet sr. or a senior telemaster. Both are available as ARF's.

They're called "SLATS" Don't ask me what it stands for cause I forgot, but thta's what their called.

It also comes with the pilot-assist module and a special version of Realflight.

Hi Ed,
I friend who used to fly the big 747 called them leading edge flaps.
He also told me the plane even when no passengers were on can't roll back to lift off.
I remember sitting right next to the wing on a 737 and when we took off the leading edge was hanging down, the mid section was separated and the trailing edge flaps were down.
I was able to see all the hydraulic cylinders and lines and trying to figure out how the wings were generating lift.
Then at around 5,000 feet you can gear the motors or pumps going on and off and in another minute the wing looks like a one piece unit.
Very complex and amazing they fly for years and suffer little structure failure
Thanks for the post
Vegas/

Hi Jim and thanks for the heads up on that.
I just got the big Tower Hobby catalog today/
WOW!!,
They really grew in the last several years.
I'll check out those ARF's.
Thanks for responding
Vegas/

Vegas,

Years ago I built the number one right side slat for the C-17. This is when I worked for Boeing out of Macon Ga.

I have NO idea what you mean by this. Do you mean that a 747 cannot rotate for takeoff when it's very lightly-loaded? Not so, since they DO get ferried all over the place from time-to-time with no passengers aboard. What about training flights (the few that actually do occur)? The only real requirement is to make sure the airplane is within its weight and balance limits.

I've seen how they hang down.
What keeps them from getting torn off in flight?
Vegas/

They can only be deployed up to a certain air speed, otherwise damage can occur. Any C-17 pilots out there that know what the max SLAT deployment speed is?

Hi Steve,
I'm 100% aware of that.
Just as you wouldn't lower the landing gear at 500 MPH
What is the take off speed?
The speed where the wheels leave the ground.?
At that speed the flaps are still down and must have a lot of stress imposed on them.
Vegas/

BAX,
If you remember back in the mid 1980s a 747 was hijacked?
It was on the news and the crew was condemned by many because they escaped through the door built into the floor.?
That pilot is a personal friend of mine and he was the one that told me the 747 will not leave the ground if the leading edge flaps are down.
Today maybe with better engines I don't know but back then was what he told me.
As a 30 year pilot I assume he knew what he was speaking about.
He also flew the Concord and I know he had to take close to 6 months of training for that.
Vegas/