Spit Flaps

[Seeker]

I saw an archeological program on Discovery (Time Team) that covered the excavation of a Spit in France.

During the program, they had the obligatory fly-by and airstip interview with a currently flying Spit (a 1942 Spit V).

During the interview with the pilot, the flaps were deployed.

I noticed two things at once. Firstly, AH looks exactly right. Previously I'd thought the Spit flaps a bit of an ugly bodge as I've only ever seen modern flaps slide out backwards from beneath the trailing edge; but the ones on TV did indeed look more like an airdam/brake protrudiing from the undersurface of the wing, instead of a trailing edge extension.

But secondly, what really struck me, was that deployment was instant. The pilot (actually, in this case an eighty year old veteran the TV team had got to sit in the cockpit) pulled the handle and  the flaps just dropped straight down with a bang!

May be the flaps are different on the differing model Spits with differeing wing types, but in this one case, a 1942 Spit V, I'd have to say the Spit flaps as modelled are, how shall we put it, em..porked?

[funkedup]

Yeah I've noticed that too in watching Spit videos.  I also found a reference to a real short deployment time in a book or pilot's notes somewhere.  I'll look it up and post the reference here.  
It doesn't matter that much because the flaps aren't really useful for combat, but there's no reason not to get it fixed.

[Mikepb42]

During deployment and operation,  split flaps have to act against large loads.  I suspect that in flight,  these loads oppose the movement of the flaps enough that they extent slowly.  If the flaps instantly extended in flight,  the sudden trim change would be really........ exciting.

-Vspeed