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Flaps Fail to Go Down

D

DSmith

Well Known Member
Patron
I have an intermittent problem where the flaps fail to go down. I can hear the relay on my circuit board pick but the flap motor doesn't run. Sometimes if I keep trying they will go down. They always come up fine.

I was wondering if any of you have had a problem where the flap motor hangs up, etc.
 
Grease on the brushes

There is an SB on this. Too much grease,melts on the brushes
 
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Here's another crazy idea...not sure if this applies to you or not. I have a VPX-Pro electronic circuit breaker system. My flaps are wired through the VPX. A few months ago I forgot that I have a speed limiter programmed in the VPX, which won't allow me to overspeed the flaps. One time I tried to throw out just a hair of flaps above 87 kts, and they wouldn't go down. I thought my flap motor was broken, but when I slowed down it worked just fine. Duh!
 
Gash said:
Here's another crazy idea...not sure if this applies to you or not. I have a VPX-Pro electronic circuit breaker system. My flaps are wired through the VPX. A few months ago I forgot that I have a speed limiter programmed in the VPX, which won't allow me to overspeed the flaps. One time I tried to throw out just a hair of flaps above 87 kts, and they wouldn't go down. I thought my flap motor was broken, but when I slowed down it worked just fine. Duh!
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Personally I think less is more sometimes. I want to be the final authority on when the flaps come down over a brain box. If I ever get into an engine out situation for example and need the flaps I don't want a slight overspeed to stop them.

If I'm not mistaking I also believe the flap limit speed is for full flaps, partial flaps may be extended a bit higher speed (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
 
Walt said:
If I'm not mistaking I also believe the flap limit speed is for full flaps, partial flaps may be extended a bit higher speed (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
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Walt you are correct.


Back to the OP question. I took mine appart at approx 400 hrs. I used the info found here using the search funtion and the Vans SB. Was not hard.
 
Walt said:
Personally I think less is more sometimes. I want to be the final authority on when the flaps come down over a brain box. If I ever get into an engine out situation for example and need the flaps I don't want a slight overspeed to stop them.
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This.

I grow more and more weary of manufacturers trying to make aircraft smart enough that any idiot can fly them (as long as everything works right), right up until the point that they become another AF 447. I want simple, direct inputs for all my control items and I'll do the thinking about when it's appropriate to use them, or not.
 
I went to Van's SBs and could not find anything on this. Do you by any chance know where I can find it or should I just take the motor apart and clean it up?
Danny
 
airguy said:
...I grow more and more weary of manufacturers trying to make aircraft smart enough that any idiot can fly them ...
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That's what a lot of people thought when Cessna introduced what they called the "Land-O-Matic" nosewheel configuration on the 172...:)
 
I had the same problem with my flaps and turned out to be a failed connector.

Look at the simple things first.
 
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