Not hard

I did mine a while ago, was easy with the kit from Vans. The only thing I will change is the up/down switch. The supplied switch is momentary in both directions whereas I would prefer the momentary on the down side only. When doing a T&G (or go around) I want to be able to flip the switch up and concentrate on the take off. If the switch was on the stick or on the throttle it wouldn't matter as much.
 
You sure?

Mark,

You might want to investigate your planned switch setup a bit more. In my 4 the flap motor is running whenever the switch is not in the center position. It does not stop when the flaps are in the full up/down position. Without a center loaded switch it would be easy to forget the switch was up and toast the motor.

Tony
 
Electric flaps

Built my -4 with the Vans "option" kit, but would be easy to retro fit in a completed plane. I used the MAC stick with two little momentary buttons on top, left one for "up" and right one for "down" has the elevator and aileron trim on 4 other flush buttons in between. I never take hands off throttle and stick, so its great for go-arounds and bringing flaps up on landing roll..very easy to look out canopy while in pattern and see flap transition while not having to fumble for a switch. Highly recommend the set-up.
 
A momentary switch to have the flaps go full up would be a nice feature in the pattern. The only reason I would stick with a standard switch is during engine out practice or the real thing the ability to modulate the flaps makes getting the aircraft down exactly where you want it fairly easy. Flap extension beyond half is basically all drag.

George
 
Tony Spicer said:
Mark,

You might want to investigate your planned switch setup a bit more. In my 4 the flap motor is running whenever the switch is not in the center position. It does not stop when the flaps are in the full up/down position. Without a center loaded switch it would be easy to forget the switch was up and toast the motor.

Tony
Click to expand...

You're right Tony - unless you incorporate an "up" limit switch to turn off the motor when it gets to the full up position. I consider this essential with the "non-momentary" up position on the switch (which is the configuration I like).

This entails mounting a microswitch on the mechanism somewhere to detect the full up positon of the flaps.

Paul
 
I thought it was easy

I converted my -4 to electric flaps last year. I don't know how I put up with that flap handle for so long. As for the switch. I put a momentary down and a latched up switch. I did this for the reasons stated above. I have found that it is easy to forget. So I'm installing a "Flap Motor Operation" indicator light. I'm going to try this first before installing a limit switch. Which by the way is not just a switch. You have to use a double throw switch and diodes that will allow you to move the motor in the opposite direction after the switch is operated. Good luck.
 
Flap Motor

The flap motor continues to run but at the end of its travel it runs out of gearing and runs freely. Are these motors so fragile that a few minutes of free running will harm them?

The light Charlie is considering seems like a reasonable option, for me a limit switch on the flaps seems to over complicate the situation. There is probably some kind of "timed" relay available that would shut the motor off after 10 seconds or so, that would work as well.
 
Complicate

The easiest way to get the electric flaps to work properly is Vans postioning system. I have one on my 9 and 4. Press down once 10 degrees, twice 20, three times full flap. Press up once the flaps slowly go all the way up.

I am afraid to say you are trying to over complicate something which already works. Timing would only work is you could guarantee how fast the motor is going to spin and I would bet that given differing flight loads this would not be consistent.

If you don't want a flap positioning system then in my opinion a full up microswitch and full down switches are a must to pevent the system over running. Then you would have to mark the flap at 10/20 full positions and watch it going down manually stopping it where you want it.
 
WAM120RV said:
Timing would only work is you could guarantee how fast the motor is going to spin and I would bet that given differing flight loads this would not be consistent.
Click to expand...

Steve, not sure how your flap motor works but mine freewheels at the end of its travel each way so all that's needed for timing is to let it go for 15 seconds or so and all is good. The flaps are always fully retracted within 15 seconds, and a few extra seconds of freewheeling the motor will not hurt it.
 
romeosierra621 said:
Hey guys! I am wanting to convert my plane to electric flaps, Tuff job? 1988 rv4. Thanks
Click to expand...
The hardest part for me was not the switch, which seems to be the point of discussion here, it was rigging the walking beam to get full flaps and flaps up at the extremes of the jackscrew travel, but that wasn't all that bad. I think I worked out the proper actuator/flap arm locations on the walking beam using a tongue depressor first, then drilled the walking beam to match.

I have a momentary up and down mounted by the throttle quadrant (with no overrun protection, it's not going to hurt anything). I did not use a 'flap positioning system', and marked flap deflections on the flap wiper where I could see them from the cockpit. I'm now supplementing that with a position transducer to a Dynon EMS but that's more out of 'coolness' than necessity. Never saw a need for discrete flap settings and have no complaints with the stock system.
 
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