Does anybody know how the flaps on an airplane work to slow the plane down for landing?

Answer 1

Flaps do two things. They add lift and drag. They add lift because they increase the wing's camber. They add drag because they extend down into the relative windstream which generates resistance. This allows pilots to descend at steeper angles while maintaining the same speed. When you lower the nose of an aircraft for descent, the speed will increase unless you decrease thrust or add drag onto the airplane. Sometimes even having the throttles at idle isn't enough to descend at a fast enough rate. Pilots will then either configure with gear and/or flaps, or use other methods of adding drag, such as deploying flight spoilers or speed brakes, depending on the type of aircraft. Spoilers and/or speed brakes are typically used during the initial part of the descent from cruise altitude if the pilots deem it necessary to increase the rate of descent. In the lower altitude environment as they approach a field to land at, they will use flaps for this function. The reason why they don't use flaps and landing gear at high altitudes to add drag to increase the descent rate is because the airplane has to slow down quite substantially to lower the gear and flaps. Most pilots don't begin slowing down until they appraoch 10,000, below which they are restricted to 250 knots in most airspaces, and even less than this in certain types of airspaces.

However, an airplane can quite easily land with no flaps at all. The pilot has to more carefully monitor his energy state, however, in many airplanes.

Answer 2

Assume for this illustration that you are trying to land a light aircraft on a landing strip in a valley between low mountains.

Without flaps, your descent from above the approach mountaintop to the valley below might be too fast to be able to slow for a landing.

Using full flaps, the approach would be both steeper and slower, affording much better margin for error for a safe landing.

When departing such a landing strip, you would use partial flap extention, which would generate the added lift needed to clear the mountaintop, without the heavy drag of full flap extention.

Answer 3

The purpose of flaps is to enable the aircraft to fly more slowly without
stalling. Deploying flaps increases both lift and drag. Use of flaps when landing thus enables a steeper approach path, better visibility over the nose and a slower touch-down speed. The slower the touch-down speed (perhaps 120~160kts for an airliner, or around 60~70kts for the smaller aircraft), then the less braking and runway length are required to complete the landing roll before safely exiting the runway at taxi speed. Generally speaking, full-flap will be used for landing as this provides maximum benefit in terms of reduced landing speed and extra drag during the landing roll. (Flaps are also commonly used for take-off in order to decrease the speed at which the wing starts to provide lift - but only partial flap is used for take-off to avoid having too much drag whilst trying to accelerate to take-off speed).

Its funny how you can be in a room full of people and you know who is a pilot. He will tell you.

Answer 4

Flaps increase the wing area, creating more lift at slower speeds. At higher speeds they are retracted because they incur drag, like sticking your hand out the window on the freeway. Larger or performance planes will have spoilers, or air brakes, on the trailing edge of the wing just before the flaps or ailerons that actually do any "slowing".

Answer 5

YES
By the steering wheel
Pull the steering wheel out raises the flaps and the wind hitting these takes weight off the nose and lifts the airplane

Push the wheel in lowers the flaps which will raise the rear and lower the front along with decreased speed you will slowly drop down

Answer 6

Corey,

Flaps are quite simple. They extend out to add more wind resistance, therefore slowing the airplane down.

Answer 7

The flaps, when fully extended, actually isrupt airflow in such a way that they increase drag!

Answer 8

I fly planes and it gives it lift while also slowing it down for landings for short runways and slower landings.

Answer 9

It increases the surface area of a wing which increases lift at slower speeds.

Answer 10

I would guess that they add resistance. They don't make the plane that aerodynamic anymore. It's like driving ur car with ur hand out the window, you can feel the air push against ur hand.