What's new
Van's Air Force

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

Stick Flap Switch Direction Convention

R

rapid_ascent

Well Known Member
This may be a silly question, but I haven't flown with a flap switch on the stick before. What is the standard convention for which way is up and which way is down? Right now I have mine setup where forward is up and aft is down. There is a certain logic to this way (mine) but I thought I'd ask what is normally done.
 
Copied from another thread: thank Robert.

Ac 43-13-1B covers this on page 11-19

On is upward or forward

When controlling moveable elements such as landing gear or flaps, the toggle should move in the same direction as desired motion.

I see I also pencilled in this….If movement is horizontal, right is on. (I must have added that from a classroom discussion with the instructor when in A&P school.). That’s how I mounted mine.
__________________
Robert Marshall
 
Mine is set up the same as the hat switch for the elevator trim on the top of the stick. Forward is down and aft is up. Seems intuitive as my flap toggle switch is right beside the trim hat switch.
But this is experimental so one is free to do whatever they like. Just make sure it is properly marked on your stick.
 
Pull back to go slower, push forward to go faster….my stick-mounted flap switches follow the same convention as every console-mounted flap switch I’ve ever used. Up is forward, down is aft.
 
At the risk of sounding like a debbie downer, do you really want a flap switch on your stick? I have one, and I thought it would be useful, but in the end I prefer the switch that's on the panel. The only time I use the switch on the stick is when I'm on the ground, just to confirm it still works.
 
I don't use mine either. I thought it would be "cool" to have it on the stick, but old muscle memory dies hard and I always reach for the panel when I need flaps. So now the switch on my stick is just something else that can fail.

I read somewhere on VAF that a control needs to "earn" its way onto the stick and I think that's the right way to look at it.
 
rv8ch said:
At the risk of sounding like a debbie downer, do you really want a flap switch on your stick? I have one, and I thought it would be useful, but in the end I prefer the switch that's on the panel. The only time I use the switch on the stick is when I'm on the ground, just to confirm it still works.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't want it anywhere else but the stick. I want my hands on the stick and throttle the whole time from downwind through landing. Also (maybe even more importantly) for go-around.
 
Lkitson said:
I wouldn't want it anywhere else but the stick. I want my hands on the stick and throttle the whole time from downwind through landing. Also (maybe even more importantly) for go-around.
Click to expand...

That was exactly my thinking as well, but in the end I never use the switch on the stick - I just flip up the big paddle on a go-around, and when landing, there is rarely any stress or hurry, so taking my hand off the throttle for a second to lower the flaps is pretty easy.

The beauty of building your own aircraft - you can do it any way you like! :)
 
Lkitson said:
I wouldn't want it anywhere else but the stick. I want my hands on the stick and throttle the whole time from downwind through landing. Also (maybe even more importantly) for go-around.
Click to expand...

I've never understood this...what are you flying, an F-22 or something? Speed in the pattern even for an RV isn't much faster than the lowly spam cans, and even in the event of a go-around, that's just 3 uses of the flap switch from pattern entry to go-around.

I guess I'm not afraid to take my hand off the throttle for a few moments to do something else during the pattern, at least until short final. Just like I had to for years when flying Cessnas and Pipers and Socatas...
 
RV7A Flyer said:
I've never understood this...what are you flying, an F-22 or something?
Click to expand...

Different types of flying. Often it is necessary to think beyond one's own experience/perspective. Think mountain canyons, varying conditions, need to vary descent profile, etc.

Mine is on the stick and I find it very useful there. Only a small amount of my flying is the typical wide GA rectangular pattern.

Mandatory/Essential there (on the stick)? No, but I have a number of things that are not essential but make the experience 'better' (IMO). One could further argue that electric flaps are a poor choice - they should all be manual, right??
 
I'm going to neatly sidestep the should or shouldn't debate and just say that if you ran across this setup on a pt. 23 airplane, it's almost certain that fwd would be retract and aft would be extend. That most closely aligns with the intent of FAR43

Yeah, it's experimental, so by all means do what you want with your own airplane, but in my opinion, that orientation is also "best" for human factors/muscle memory in that the thumb action required most closely mimics the motion of a panel mounted switch. In other words, the majority of people who hop in your airplane would intuit that orientation.

I'll now start my kitchen timer and see how long it takes for somebody to bring up a certified airplane that I don't know about that has it the exact opposite of what I just said :)
 
Desert Rat said:
I'll now start my kitchen timer and see how long it takes for somebody to bring up a certified airplane that I don't know about that has it the exact opposite of what I just said :)
Click to expand...

I'll do the opposite and bring up a Part 23 airplane that validates your suggestion... the Grumman AA1/AA5 series all have the flap switch mounted sticking up from the console between the seats, with forward being "flaps up".
 
I can reach my panel mounted flap switch with my index finger while operating the throttle.
Folks like what they like and will justify it anyway they like too. It’s all good!

If you are going to put it on the panel, put it next to the throttle. If you’re going to put it on the stick, follow AC 43.
 
JonJay said:
I can reach my panel mounted flap switch with my index finger while operating the throttle.
Click to expand...

Same here, and you know what else...Up is up, and down is down. :) Or up is retract, down is extend, if you prefer that nomenclature.
 
JonJay said:
I can reach my panel mounted flap switch with my index finger while operating the throttle.
Click to expand...

Same. Left hand on stick is busy with retrimming, PTT and [of coarse] flying. Right hand is throttle and flaps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top