What speeds do you use for gear extension and approach flaps?

[midlifeflyer]

2 hours ago, Slick Nick said:

First stage of flaps is VERY common on most aircraft types I’ve flown, from Pipers, to King Airs, to transport category jets. Even I admit, I had to wrap my head around the fact that the Mooney is a “gear before flaps” airplane. 
Perhaps this is why the idea meets with some resistance from new Mooney owners?

That may be true for larger aircraft but for most of the 30+ piston singles I've flown, the highest published flap speed is within the "normal" range of final approach submergent speeds and, in retracts, below Vlo. I'm including Pipers (Arrows, Comanches), Cessnas (Cutlass), Bonanzas (C33 series 145 vs 117. In a few (Cessna 182RG; later Bonanza A36 models), they are higher but no higher than Vlo.  I don't think any I've seen have higher Vfe than Vlo.

[Max Clark]

On 9/28/2024 at 2:21 AM, donkaye said:

Alsolutely---NOT!  ANY flap extension should be below the White Arc.  A number of years ago I had the same question so had a long discussion with Tom Bowen, Chief Engineer at the time.  While I can't remember everything he told me, the basic issue was torsion and loads throughout the CG  range of the plane.  They did do tests showing that approach flaps could be extended below gear speed in the long body, but never got it approved.  So, if you forget to retract the flaps on takeoff you are not likely to do damage to the flaps if you're below gear speed, but they are not approved for extension above the white arc, notwithstanding apparently some J models.

Thanks Don!

[hubcap]

My POH calls for gear at 132 KIAS and flaps at 112 KIAS

[ArtVandelay]

In the pattern in every light airplane I’ve flown I put the gear down mid-field downwind (before things get busy) and flaps down abeam the numbers when I begin a descent.
On an approach, I slow to 90 KIAS before the FAF and put in 15 deg flap one dot above the GS to (get the retrimming out of the way while level) and then gear down at GS intercept which adds enough drag to start down without a power or trim change.
 
 

If I’m being vectored which is the great majority of the time, I would have a hard time getting slowed down to 90 kias without pulling power enough to make the gear warning sound. This is where speed brakes come in handy.

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, ArtVandelay said:

If I’m being vectored which is the great majority of the time, I would have a hard time getting slowed down to 90 kias without pulling power enough to make the gear warning sound. This is where speed brakes come in handy.

Unless I'm asked to keep the speed up, I generally power back to 20" clean when being vectored, and then back to 15" when intercepting the final approach course. This gets me slowed down to 90 KIAS by the time I'm one dot from GS intercept. I set my gear horn for 12".