What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Right Aileron Trim with Flaps

jsharkey

Well Known Member
My RV6 requires right aileron trim when I deploy flaps. Is that common? Without flaps it flies with neutral trim, hands and feet off.

Jim Sharkey
RV6
 
Jim, I see from your signature that you've been flying since 2009. Has it always done this?

I don't know anything about the RV6 specifically, but I've got to think that flap asymmetry in any airplane isn't great.

If an RV6 pro shows up here and says "oh they all do that" I will happily learn something new, but otherwise I would suspect that you have one flap coming down further than the other or otherwise out of rig somehow.
 
I gotta agree with Terry on this one. If it hasn't always done this, it concerns me even more. I'd be looking at several things...
- Could a flap be bent?
- Is it possible one side of the steel weldment that deploys the flaps could be cracked? (I'm assuming the 6 is made similarly to the 7 in this regard)
- Is a hardware component loose or damaged?

There may be other causes that I'm missing, but I'd want to find that gremlin before much longer. It may be just a quirk that you live with, but if it's the start of a much bigger problem, then flap asymmetry could lead to a very bad day.
 
Check that the rolled edge of the flap looks the same right and left with flaps down.
In phase 1 my stalls would break to the right because my left flap was "curled" too much and was not making contact with the aft end of the top wing skin. At Van's suggestion, a broom handle under the front edge of the flap pulled to "un-curl" the front of the flap a bit fixed the problem.
 
Back
Top