Flaps

[Kuhn]

I was looking around the net and found that there are 4 kinds of flaps used. Now I know that allot of rides in AH use "Simple Flaps".  What rides use the "Split" flaps. What ones use the "Slotted Flaps".


Just wondering

Thanks

[Ack-Ack]

P-38's had a two-part flap system made up of a conventional hinged flap and Fowler flaps.



For those that wondered what the P-38 dive flaps looked like deployed



*linked images fixed


ack-ack

[SIK1]

On my end they both look like little red x's.

[Kuhn]

I kinda wondered how long fowlers have been around.

[SgtPappy]

Fowler flaps have been around since the early-mid 30's I think. Lockheed's designs like the Super Electra had them.

The British planes usually will have split flaps.. panels extending from the bottom of the wing... 'splitting' the airfoil. Spitfires, Hurricanes, Tempests even Lancasters have these flaps. Some other US planes have them like P-40's and P-39's.

But not all of the flaps will be identified visually. The F4U Corsair has slotted flaps (flaps with a space between the leading edge of the flaps and trailing edge of the wing) and the P-51 has plain flaps but you won't notice the space in between the Corsair's flaps and wings visually. This special slotted flaps is also used by the P-47 line. The narrow space between the flap and the wing allows air to move from the bottom of the wing through the space, pressurized via Venturi principle and shot out over the top of the flap. Remember, the faster the air moves at the top of an airfoil compared to the air at the bottom usually will mean extra lift is afforded. This is probably the most logical reason as to why a P-47 will gain a 40% turn radius decrease (just an estimate) while the P-51 with plain flaps, will gain about a 30% decrease in turn radius.

[CAP1]

I was looking around the net and found that there are 4 kinds of flaps used. Now I know that allot of rides in AH use "Simple Flaps".  What rides use the "Split" flaps. What ones use the "Slotted Flaps".


Just wondering

Thanks

p38's use fowlers, as noted and very nicely pictured by akak.............spitfires, hurricanes, f4f, f6f, zekes(i think) use split flaps.

<<hijack>>kuhn......how'd we do last night in FSO? i got called into work at my night job, and didn't get in till about midnight.  <<hijack over>>

but now to take your question a bit farther........is there an advantage to one type over the other in combat?

[Kuhn]

Gonna have to wait for the score to see how well we did. Some of us were jumped by angry mobs of SBDs and TBMs. Its kinda hard to get away from a gauntlet that even shoots at each other. Only lost half the squad though.

[Karnak]

Ki-84s had Fowler flaps.  I think Ki-43s did as well, I don't know about Ki-44s.

[Gianlupo]

C.202 and 205 have split flaps.

[Tec]

109s have simple and split.

[Gianlupo]

109 had simple and slotted flaps, not split.

[CAP1]

109 had simple and slotted flaps, not split.

and leading edge flaps too

[Gianlupo]

and leading edge flaps too

Well, yep, but those are usually called slats and, even if they are in the category of the high-lift devices, slats are usually considered apart from the proper said flaps: so I guess Kuhn was simply asking for the latter.

[Cthulhu]

Well, yep, but those are usually called slats and, even if they are in the category of the high-lift devices, slats are usually considered apart from the proper said flaps: so I guess Kuhn was simply asking for the latter.

To expand on what Gian said:
Leading edge flaps and slats are two different things. As an example, the F-16 has leading edge flaps, whereas Messerschmitt's fighters had slats. Flaps serve to shift the entire CL/Alpha curve upward (with a corresponding increase in drag), whereas slats extend the curve, allowing the wing to pull a few more degrees alpha before stalling.

Oh, and 190's have split flaps too. Another reason to never get slow and turn-fight in a 190.

(EDIT)
And since we're on the subject:

B-17: split flaps (Ho-hum)
B-24: fowler flaps (Impressive  )

[CAP1]

now we're gettin some good conversation going.

i think i mistated earlier that f6f's had split flaps when in fact they have plain flaps.