Tankerpilot75
Well Known Member
Unfortunately yesterday while descending into my home field I discovered my flaps had been inadvertently extended 10 degrees at some point in flight. Whether it was done by my passenger (wife) or myself when we encountered some light to moderate turbulence over southern Kansas it doesn't matter, but the fact is they had been extended 10 degrees for a while and our speeds were up as high as 175 knots in the decent.
As soon as I noticed the problem I retracted the flaps and only extended them again in the pattern for landing. I did not feel or observe anything abnormal about the pattern or landing. Upon visual inspection after the flight I could not see any obvious damage. Does anyone have any recommendations what I should checkout prior to my next flight?
Lesson learned: when encountering significant chop pay close attention to where your hands land when changing radio frequencies or making other aircraft adjustments. Bouncing around is not only uncomfortable but also potentially harmful to good airmanship. Any yes, these RV's are well built sturdy airplanes!
As soon as I noticed the problem I retracted the flaps and only extended them again in the pattern for landing. I did not feel or observe anything abnormal about the pattern or landing. Upon visual inspection after the flight I could not see any obvious damage. Does anyone have any recommendations what I should checkout prior to my next flight?
Lesson learned: when encountering significant chop pay close attention to where your hands land when changing radio frequencies or making other aircraft adjustments. Bouncing around is not only uncomfortable but also potentially harmful to good airmanship. Any yes, these RV's are well built sturdy airplanes!