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 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??)