jpilot Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 So it was a busy day at the airport, it was bumpy and I was exhausted. I'm on a long final, but there were two planes ahead of me so I slow down, deploy flaps and landing gear to slow down so I don't overtake the Cherokees and Cessnas in the pattern. Tower asks me to speed it up so I retract the gear and apply more power. A minute later I realize that I had forgotten to retract the flaps and that I've pretty significantly oversped them. How worried do I need to be that I've damaged something? I didn't see any visible damage to the flaps, but I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtVandelay Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 Did you cycle them on the ground? Did you listen for any odd sounds? Do they seem structurally solid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
201er Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 I hate to admit it, but there's been a couple times I forgot to retract the flaps in climb. It wasn't until I leveled off and could not break 130KTAS that finally cued me in. The first time this happened I had them inspected. By the second or third time, I don't sweat it. The plane tells me I forgot something sooner or later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yetti Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 Check around the hinges and attach points for cracks. Go fly. We have all done it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpilot Posted August 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 8 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said: Did you cycle them on the ground? Did you listen for any odd sounds? Do they seem structurally solid? I cycled them on the ground, everything sounded normal. They feel solid to me, there isn't any play in the system or other obvious signs of structural damage. I know there is a decent amount of over-engineered safety built into these systems and I normally wouldn't be concerned about a few knots. But I was pushing 135+ knots by the time I realized my mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted August 16, 2020 Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 Congrats on your first post in six years, jp! Best to slow down to flap operating speed prior to letting them up... exceeding their deployed speed, is a different issue than their operating speed... (technically) The damage for flaps left down at higher speeds is a crack in the sub spar they are mounted to... An inspection of the area around the mounts should be easy to see the cracks... helps to be a mechanic who has seen this before... They are tiny hairline kind of things... There are a few pics of the typical repairs around here... PP thoughts only, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpilot Posted August 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 2 minutes ago, carusoam said: Congrats on your first post in six years, jp! Best to slow down to flap operating speed prior to letting them up... exceeding their deployed speed, is a different issue than their operating speed... (technically) The damage for flaps left down at higher speeds is a crack in the sub spar they are mounted to... An inspection of the area around the mounts should be easy to see the cracks... helps to be a mechanic who has seen this before... They are tiny hairline kind of things... There are a few pics of the typical repairs around here... PP thoughts only, not a mechanic... Best regards, -a- Awesome, thanks! That's helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpilot Posted August 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2020 14 minutes ago, Yetti said: Check around the hinges and attach points for cracks. Go fly. We have all done it. Will do. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_elliott Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 It depends on your model. The older vintage with manual flaps were more prone to damage when deployed above the white arc, and if your "deviation" from the POH was significant, it might pay to have the attach points carefully inspected by and experienced IA who has seen the issue before, not someone who wont know what and where to look at the sub spar. If a newer model, I would be less concerned as they were beefed up, but still inspect when you can. Full flaps would have given you a significant pitch up when adding power, it almost slaps you to say "fix this dummy" and I cant imagine it was a full flap overspeed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skates97 Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 16 hours ago, jpilot said: So it was a busy day at the airport, it was bumpy and I was exhausted. I'm on a long final, but there were two planes ahead of me so I slow down, deploy flaps and landing gear to slow down so I don't overtake the Cherokees and Cessnas in the pattern. Tower asks me to speed it up so I retract the gear and apply more power. A minute later I realize that I had forgotten to retract the flaps and that I've pretty significantly oversped them. How worried do I need to be that I've damaged something? I didn't see any visible damage to the flaps, but I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for. Thanks guys! I don't see the information in your avatar, what year model are you flying? There is an SB for some of the vintage planes to inspect for cracks and the repair needed. Many of them have already had it completed which provides more strength to the spar, probably similar to what the newer ones have mentioned by Mike above. it is SB 20-217 and attached below. You can also check out this thread which has some pictures to help you know where to look. M20-217.pdf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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