devil505

My Feedback: (3)

I am in the middle of completely overhauling my Tower Hobbies Voyager. I have the covering removed and am installing new hinges. I am looking at the wings now and am thinking of making part of the aileron a flap. Right now the wing is set up with a full aileron the length of each side of the wing with one servo in the center of the wing. I was thinking of cutting the aileron about the halfway point and setting up an independent servo for each aileron and using the center servo to operate the flaps. If anyone has any experience with this let me know if it is even worth the work or not. I only thought of doing this because I am going to put a Super Tigre 45 engine on this plane so it will fly faster. If you have any suggestions or comments let me know, thanks

LuftwaffeOberst

It's called "Flaperon." If you have a digital or computer radio you can program the mix on your radio for that function. You will still have some aileron control when you have your flaperons deployed... that's depending how far you have your flap throws enabled.

Meaning... if your flap throw rate is more than the aileron throw rate your not going to have any aileron control.

Only a little flap is needed enough to slow the plane down and in order for you to still have some aileron control, hope I helped. It's a better way than to just cut up ailerons and butchering up your wings. JMHO

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

I do it all the time. But don't cut it in half, you only need about the inboard 1/3 for flaps.

devil505

My Feedback: (3)

Will I need to make the flap surface bigger? Right now the aileron is only about 1 inch in width.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

What you are talking about are flaps and not flaperons. That chord is rather insuficient and you will get very little effect plus you will be sacrificing some roll control authority. This especially so since they are strip ailerons rather than barn doors to start with.

Even using flaperon mix with strip ailerons has some of the same sacrafices and normally on an airplane like that not worth the effort.

John

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

With most models it is a mere novelty that once you have accomplished you rarely use it any more

LuftwaffeOberst

Ohhh...I like that.

Villa

I have always managed to adjust the plane; controls, CG, engine prop, engine idle speed, so that I could safely flare to a very low landing speed. I see flaps as something that adds weigh, cost, complexity, and is not needed on our average models.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

While I rarely disagree with JohnBruckner and w8ye, in this case, I must.

I have used the inner 1/3 of a strip aileron for flaps many times. They are extremely effective and they take little if anything away from the aileron's authority.

I fact, I mentioned this in several of the Ultra Sport threads and my partner Ken (RC Ken) visited me two years ago and I let him try mu Ultra Sport with flaps.

He was instantly sold!

And no, you don't need to make them bigger, or have a huge deflection. Try it, you'll like it!

devil505

My Feedback: (3)

Thanks Minnflyer. The only other concern I have about doing this is building the supports for the servos in the wings to move the ailerons.

carrellh

Flaps are usually deployed at low speed (takeoff and landing).

When you were flying it before, did you feel that the landing speed was high enough that you wished you had flaps?

Installing an engine that allows the plane to fly faster should not change the landing speed unless the new engine is so heavy that it increases the wing loading.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Does your wing have cap strips on the ribs?

devil505

My Feedback: (3)

The wing has ribs. I just planned on taking 2 pieces and running those parellel to the ribs the width need for the serveo, then cut 2 pieces to go between them to make a pocket for the servo. That should be strong enough to support the servo.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

Should be, but I would either add doublers to the ribs involved, or have one of the cross members glued to the aft side of the spar - or both

devil505

My Feedback: (3)

I was going to put the servo between 2 ribs and just reenforce the pocket by running cross supports to the rib on either side so the pocket cant move left or right. Any specific wood I should use?

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Flaps, flaperons and spoilerons are fun to play with. I have one plane set up with flaperons and when the wind comes up I use them a lot. Needed?? No, but fun. Not very many Hots that need flaps. I have spolierons set up on one Extra slaved into my throttle, fun!! Making up servo mounts or trays is easy, the longest part of the change is waiting for the epoxy to dry. I have one wing that I just finished sheeting with servos mounted to the hatch if you need some photos or ideas but mike and ken can post drawings that would be better.

carrellh

I'd use 1/4" square basswood sticks for servo rails. If there are no cap strips on the ribs I'd notch the bottom of the ribs for the sticks. The servos in my trainer wings were installed this way.

edmoor

My Feedback: (1)

i just finished an old trainer this way.....cut the ailerons,,,,,installed a servo for flaps..works great....no big hassle.....use a ball joint....for one servo......more of a hassle to add the aileron servos outward.....now that i used the servo mount for the flaps...but it works fine. i managed to get 45 degree deflection.