View Single Post
Old 07-20-2013 | 05:56 AM
  #14  
Cubdriver's Avatar
Cubdriver
Moderator
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,056
Likes: 0
From: ATP, CFI etc.
Default

Originally Posted by N9373M
IIRC, flaps 40 and a slip could block the airflow over the elevator, causing an abrupt drop of the nose. No bueno close to the ground.
I am gonna call myth-busters on this idea of a nose drop for these older Cessnas with the 40 flaps. I have never seen any proof of it. Tail blanking does occur, where turbulent or dead air causes light buffeting as the turbulent air from the flaps bumps around on the tail a little bit. But this is not the same as tail stall. It might be possible with some combination of conditions like forward CG, gross weight, crosswinds, and aggressive maneuvering, but I have never heard of any accidents from that cause.

That said, there are plenty of good reasons to avoid the 40 flaps on electric models. Go-arounds are difficult, there is a risk of wing stall due and mis-trim given complete flap retraction, and you can get extra drag for steep approaches by forward slipping. The older models with the jack bar were ok because you could change flap settings quickly on those models. Too bad they gave that feature up to get more interior room.
Reply