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Flap position indicator.

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RetiredRacer

Well Known Member
Now that I have 30.4 hours on the hobbs, I've decided to install the flap positioning system by "Show Planes". I bought this unit back when I first started building. I thought this unit (from memory when I bought it), also had a flap position sensor. After reading the wiring instructions, I've discovered it hasn't.

Is there a flap positioning unit with a flap position sensor available?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Bob
 
Flap position indicator

UMA has a flap position indicator, however, I don't know what what drives the indicator. Take a look at their website.

John Ciolino
RV-8
N894Y
 
My 'intention' is to use a fuel tank sender suitably disemboweled. It just seems too much trouble right now, easy enough to just take a look out the window.
Doug
 
Try the mark one eyeball

I have found that actually looking at the flaps works quite well. :rolleyes: If both the primary and secondary eyeballs fail you've got bigger problems than flap position error.
 
ronschreck said:
I have found that actually looking at the flaps works quite well. :rolleyes: If both the primary and secondary eyeballs fail you've got bigger problems than flap position error.
Click to expand...

The wife is about to start her flying lessons. While I find looking out the window does the job, her instructor said he would like to see an indicator in front, for the student.
 
I also inst the show planes from Vans.

I plan on just looking out initially but may install a pushrod from my r/c stuff and a bent wire indicator with the proper markings. When i have problems with the sp set up i will just tear it out and install a flap switch.
 
Eyeball Method: Markings Required?

For those using the eyeball method of flap position sensing, did your DAR require you to mark the flaps in some way? For example, marked every 5 degrees so you can read the number of degrees of deployment??
 
flap marking

....good example of thread drift eh?
...Mine are marked every 10, with a 1/2" wide label stripe.....so that's probably 5 degrees wide!
I found you can move your head enough to change the view by almost 5 degrees, so if I were doing it again, I'd use 1/3, 1/2 and full...or whatever I actually used operationally. (for example, if you take-off with 10 degrees, then mark that!) :)
I think even with a flap position indicator on the dash, I'd still look out the window ' just to check' the status.!
 
Out the window

I am looking out he window anyway so would never use a panel indicator if I had one. (I never look at the trim indicator on the panel either just use touch.) I have the show planes flap position system and love it. I have a mark at one click, two clicks, and full flaps marked on the flaps so easy to quickly know how much flaps I have. Keep it simple.
 
RetiredRacer said:
The wife is about to start her flying lessons. While I find looking out the window does the job, her instructor said he would like to see an indicator in front, for the student.
Click to expand...

Good thing she's not getting instruction in a Bonanza...the S model that I fly came from the factory without an indicator...just markings on the flap itself.:)

I find that I'm usually looking out to my left or right towards the runway when I'm lowering my flaps. It just seems natural.

I always like to see my students looking outside more than inside (especially in the pattern) but everyone's different.
 
good builder website of one way to do it

Mike Bullock's -7 site has a great illustrated guide to using the Ray Allen indicator and associated RC linkage. I did this same thing in my 7a and it worked really well.

http://www.rvplane.com/?categoryid=7&dayid=835

If this link does not work here. Go to Mike's site (www.rvplane.com), select Wrap up work and look for Sept. 4 2009 - installed flap position indicator.

If you don't have room on the vertical flap motor brace like Mike shows... you can use the flap weldment arms that the flap push rods attach to in the baggage area sides as an alternative. Just remember that the best situation for the RA position encoder is to use as much of the available travel as you can when you set up your linkage.

We can now both buy Mike a few cold ones when we meet up with him at some future air show :D
 
do you use multiple flap positions?

Do you use multiple flap positions? In my -7 I pretty much just slow down, drop flaps, and land... if it is really windy I might use half flaps but very little fuss. Much of the interest in having an indicator is likely from their use in other aircraft or training in a high wing Cessna where the flap is not easily viewable, the flaps seem to have more effect on pitch, and instructors call for incrimental flap deployment in the pattern.
 
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I have a flap positioning system, too, and no "electronic" flap position indicator. I marked the three position with blue tape on my left flap. Works perfectly. When I deploy flaps, I give a quick look on the left wing for peace of mind. I will redo this in the same way. No need for a flap position indicator, for me. And I installed a lot of bells and whistles on my plane...
 
Retired Racer, here you go.

Mine is on a 10, but I believe you are trying to do a 9, so the mounting will not be the same.

What I did was to mark the position of the flap bellcrank arm on the side of the fuse at each end of the travel, and find a radius from the center of the torque tube that gave me a one inch arc segment between the lines.

I then mounted a pivot on the arm at that point, and hooded it to a Ray Allen liner potentiometer.

I used a ball link, and pushrod material from the R/C model world.

Here is a photo-----again, as I said, this is on a 10, and I have no idea if your 9 will be able to set up like this, but it should give you some ideas for getting your hooked up.

The liner potentiometer drives the Ray Allen LED position indicator.

P7220006.jpg


P7220009.jpg


Good luck.
 
I just installed the Ray Allen POS-12 linear potentiometer as a flap position sensor for my RV-9A and am posting the pics for future reference. I put it in the center vertical section where the flap motor/arm is:

20120516-1635-IMG_8148.jpg


Detail of POS-12 mount:
20120516-1636-IMG_8150.jpg


Detail of flap arm mount. I used horn, clevises and threaded rod from a radio-control hobby store, adding my own Al bracket which is attached with both plastic ties and double-sided tape. The horn uses a ball socket for its clevis mount to provide more flexible movement:
20120516-1635-IMG_8149.jpg



I ran the 3-conductor cable forward along with the two wires for the flap power through the center section up to the panel area.
 
Flap Position

-8A. I have a Ray Allen flap position sensor tied into my AFS 4500 - but never use it.

I've calibrated zero to full flap deflection in potatoes - as in "1-potato, 2-potato, 3-potato --- up to 8-potatoes for full deflection. 4 potatoes for half - but it doesn't seem to matter whether it ends up one third, half or two thirds.

Discussed this with the folks at Vans during the build. They said to use my eyeball and not make things complicated.
 
pvalovich said:
Discussed this with the folks at Vans during the build. They said to use my eyeball and not make things complicated.
Click to expand...

I agree. I only did this because I got the last VP-200 available and it has a place on its display for flap position. If I used the VP-X or conventional wiring I wouldn't bother.
 
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