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RV-6A Flap Handle Issue

Will Bentley

Active Member
I'm presently having a problem with my manual flap handle button. I have checked the archives and haven't found anyone having this problem. While
on the ground and under no flap tension, my manual flaps perform flawlessly.
On approach, however, I find that about 50 percent of the time the button
is nearly impossible to depress in order to lift the flap handle. Also, I have found that "jiggling" the handle will often-times allow the button to "pop-out" which allows me to lift the handle and apply one or two notches of flaps.

After some research I can pretty well deduce that one of the dowels inside the handle is fouling where it engages the spring. Okay, so it seems that I could probably just order a new spring, button and new dowels and the problem would be resolved. So far I have had no luck locating the inner workings of the flap handle. Also, I'm not all that sure that my deduction is correct. Has anyone had intermittent (or constant) problems with their flap handle failing to engage the notched flap anchor plate?

I might add that the only time it has actually been a real problem is when I was needing to make an emergency go-round and I couldn't get the push button to depress in order to release the 40 degs of flaps I had in. Since, of course, I am here to tell the story, I did manage to keep worrying the button until it finally depressed and disengaged from the notched plate. I don't mind telling you, however, that the situation did make me flash to past experiences as to just how well this bird wanted to fly around the pattern w/full flaps. Not a true emergency, but it certainly isn't the way we'd like to fly a go-round under emergent circumstances.

Thanks RVers...

Will (Bill) Bentley, CFI A-I, ME...yadda-yadda

450 wonderful hrs on this flying RV6A

(you around, Vic?? Mel??)
 
On the ground, try the flaps and see if all is working well. The button should go in with pressure from your thumb, and should come back out without any problems. If is sticks, then pull it out and see what is binding. There is only a spring and a piece of dowell down in there.

If that works fine, then look at the slots cut in the guide. The slots must be wide enough for the bolt to slide in and out without binding. The ends of the slots should be rounded and not have any hooks on the end.

The last thing to look at....... is the bolt being pushed all of the way out of the slot with the button. If the guide flexes and the bolt does not clear the slot, then you can't bring the flaps down. My flaps were a big problem, just like yours. I shortened the handle and made a new guide and changed a few things, now I push the button and pull in the first notch. After that, the second notch I just pull for the next notch. I don't need to push the button. It is easy with little effort.

I LOVE MY MANUAL FLAPS.....................
 
Yep, works perfectly on the ground. The minute, however, that
pressure from the wind is applied while flying the button begins
sticking. I suppose I'll just pull everything out of the tube and
attempt to see what's causing the binding. Strange thing is
that it worked perfectly for the first 350 hrs..then all of a sudden
became a problem.

I haven't seen anything that shows how to remove the button in order
to slide out the dowel & spring...I suppose it unscrews.

Sure sounds like you got yours working terrifically! Wish me luck...

Bill
 
Well. I don't know what to tell you. After 16 years I've never had a problem . I can tell you that the "pre-load" on the flaps is opposite in the air vs. on the ground. On the ground you have to apply down pressure on the handle to push the button and in the air you must apply up pressure, but I'm sure you already know this as it's the way with all manual flaps.
I would suggest disassembling the handle and take a look at everything. Whatever is causing the problem should be obvious.
 
Thanks Mel...

Well, I did, indeed, spend the day at the airport attempting to resolve this issue. I disassembled the contents of the tube. Hmmmm, nothing obvious.
I tried various things. I'm beginning to think there is some binding taking place. I can feel it binding but of course can't see inside the tube to determine just where the binding is taking place. Could be the thin, metal piece that holds the small bolt (that engages the notch) has bent slightly. I also noticed a slight bit of play where that same piece is rivited onto the metal bar/button. I suppose that slight wiggling movement could make it bind. Guess I'll just stay after it. After doing a few mods, I decided to take the plane for a few t & go's to see if anything I did was effective. Wouldn't ya just know...the winds cranked up to 20-25 with a direct x-wind. I decided to hold off and fly on a less windy day.

Oh, on pushing the flap bar down to lower the flaps...and pulling it
up to raise them...yep, I'm aware. When this things sticks, tho, hardly anything will make that button disengage. Once, I actually had to pry
the button out with a screw driver while wiggling the bar in order to get
the button to pop out.

Think I'll buzz the guy's at Van's and see if they've heard of anything
like this...

See you...

Bill
 
The Solution to My Sticking Manual Flap Handle Button

To Anyone That May Encounter This Sometime Down The Road...

In disassembling the contents of the flap handle I noticed the problem that has been causing my flap actuator button to stick.

Attached to the button is an aluminum rod - attached to this rod is a piece
of folded over aluminum that was riveted to the aluminum rod. The rivets had become loose allowing movement of this folded over aluminum piece. The movement caused binding of this assembly which caused the button to stick and often times stuck so hard that the flaps could not be retracted.

The fix: I replaced the rivits with screws, lock washers and nuts. The assembly is now solid. After a couple of test flights in the pattern I found that the flap actuator now operates as smoothly as silk.

Thanks to all for your guidance and attempts to help me resolve the matter.

My Best..

Will(Bill) Bentley
 
Good work Will.

Thanks for posting the problem. Now we all know where to look if it happens to us.
 
My Flap Handle Bites!

To Anyone That May Encounter This Sometime Down The Road...

In disassembling the contents of the flap handle I noticed the problem that has been causing my flap actuator button to stick.

Attached to the button is an aluminum rod - attached to this rod is a piece
of folded over aluminum that was riveted to the aluminum rod. The rivets had become loose allowing movement of this folded over aluminum piece. The movement caused binding of this assembly which caused the button to stick and often times stuck so hard that the flaps could not be retracted.

The fix: I replaced the rivits with screws, lock washers and nuts. The assembly is now solid. After a couple of test flights in the pattern I found that the flap actuator now operates as smoothly as silk.

Thanks to all for your guidance and attempts to help me resolve the matter.

My Best..

Will(Bill) Bentley


Non-builder here. I've been experiencing difficulty raising and lowering my manual flaps in my 1990 built RV6. The button is difficult to depress. Because it is difficult I catch the skin on my hand often. OUCH! I'm going to order the new button that will alleviate the biting problem and also intend to check the interior workings as described above.

Question: How do I disassemble the flap handle?
 
How to disassemble manual flap handle

Undo the two bolts that fasten the flap anchor (curved slotted bar) to the floor.
Depress the flap button and withdraw the flap anchor from the slot in the flap handle.
Pull the flap knob and mechanism out of the flap handle.

The weakness in the design of the flap release mechanism (my observation) is that the LP4-3 rivets in the F660A bracket are too close to each other.
 

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Thank-you

Thanks Paul. The RV6 USB stick i ordered from Vans doesnt have that schematic.
Nice to be able to see how it's put together!
 
I had a similar problem, couldn't depress the flap button on occasion.
My solution was to disassemble the mechanism, and slightly shorten the rod that goes from the button to the latching mechanism. The issue was that the button was sticking out just a bit too far, and was catching on the flap handle tube.
YMMV
 
I had a similar problem, couldn't depress the flap button on occasion.
My solution was to disassemble the mechanism, and slightly shorten the rod that goes from the button to the latching mechanism. The issue was that the button was sticking out just a bit too far, and was catching on the flap handle tube.
YMMV

Yup, I had that one and also where it mounted onto the seat pan allowed some fore and aft flex which aggravated the button pop out problem. I reinforced the base and shortened the rod and had no further problems with it.

Ed Holyoke
 
do you need to disassemble?
Close to 1K hours (couple more on a manual flaps -4) on the -6 taught me that the extension/retraction speed is paramount... anything > 70 knots, indicated airspeed, knots no miles nor kilometres, means handle very difficult to move and knob harder to press...
 
Non-builder here. I've been experiencing difficulty raising and lowering my manual flaps in my 1990 built RV6. The button is difficult to depress. Because it is difficult I catch the skin on my hand often. OUCH! I'm going to order the new button that will alleviate the biting problem and also intend to check the interior workings as described above.

Question: How do I disassemble the flap handle?

Remove the VA-110 button from the tube. The head has two diameters. Fill the space between the two with Epoxy putty.... https://www.oatey.com/products/oatey-fixit-stick-epoxy-putty-1829259701 ... Go to your belt sander and sand the hardened epoxy and the top diameter down to match the smaller diameter. Now you have a button that will NOT pinch your thumb.
 
Remove the VA-110 button from the tube. The head has two diameters. Fill the space between the two with Epoxy putty.... https://www.oatey.com/products/oatey-fixit-stick-epoxy-putty-1829259701 ... Go to your belt sander and sand the hardened epoxy and the top diameter down to match the smaller diameter. Now you have a button that will NOT pinch your thumb.

Or purchase the revised version of the button from vans aircraft, that has no relief space in the middle of the button.
 
Yup, the knob is hanging up

So I took apart the handle and sure enough the VA-110 knob is protruding ever so slightly out of the WD-613 Flap handle and getting caught on the lip. So, I need to shorten the F-660 rod.

Option One: I could shorten the F-660 rod at the spring end. That would require removing the rivets of the F-660a Flap release assembly, cutting the rod, re-drilling the holes and riveting the F-660A back onto the F-660. I would then have to modify the VA-110 knob as described by "Gasman" in post in order to make it an "ouchless" knob.

Option Two: I could order the new the Flap Knob (that doesn't go "ouch"), cut off the old VA-110 knob and F660 rod, cut the WD613 Flap handle and then install the new "ouchless" VA-110 flap button.

Thoughts?
 
Shortening the push rod

The tubular rod will want to be shortened by only a very small amount, likely 1/16" or so. Best to do this from the button end, by removing the button (carefully drill out the pop rivet that secures the button). Then shorten the tube a little bit at a time and test the fit.
When the button is re-fixed, the position of the securing rivet may need to be rotated 90 degrees. The tube is quite flimsy, so go easy.
There's no need to cut the WD613 flap handle, whatever you decide to use for the knob, since the new VA-110 flap button is supposed to be the same depth as the original button.
 
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