“Flaps are very critical. Aircraft wing mechanization. Description. Photo. Video What are airplane flaps

The wings of an airplane are one of its most important components. They provide the aerodynamic lifting force. An airplane wing has several elements. Each of them has its own separate function that allows the wing to work correctly. In the early days of aviation, engineers understood its importance to the aircraft.

With the development in the field, different variants of wings have appeared, which are used for different models of aircraft. Wing shapes and dimensions are important for a passenger airliner or military fighter. The mechanization of an aircraft wing, its design and purpose will be discussed in this article.

The lift force of an airplane wing is created due to the pressure difference. It changes due to the presence of air currents.

The operating principle is explained and Newton's impact model. Air particles collide with the lower half-plane of the wing, which is located at an angle to the flow, and bounce down, pushing the wing upward.

The structure of an airplane wing.

How many wings does an airplane have? In the classic model there are two of them - one on each side.

There is such a thing as the wing span of an airplane. This is the distance from the top of the left wing to the top of the right. It is measured in a straight line and does not depend on the shape or its sweep.

About their device

The totality of all the elements that make up the wing is called its mechanization. This includes flaps, slats, flaperons, spoilers, etc.

It's shared into three main parts. These are the right and left half-planes and the center section. Half-planes are also called consoles. This is the structure of an airplane wing, and more about the structure below.

Airplane wing.

Flaps

The flaps were seen by everyone who sat at the window, near the wings. Few people know that these are flaps. These are deflectable surfaces. Their function is to increase the load-bearing capacity of the wings during landing and flight at low speed.

When they are not extended, they are a continuation of the wing. During their release, they move away from it, forming small gaps.

When taking off or landing an aircraft, the flaps must be extended. Why is this being done? This is necessary to reduce speed and increase aerodynamic drag. There is a third reason - aircraft rebalancing.

The flaps of an airplane wing form from one to three slits when releasing them.

Flaperons

They can also carry out the operation of flaps. They are used on ultralight aircraft and radio-controlled models. They have one significant disadvantage - they are as effective as ailerons.

Slats

They are installed in front of the wing. Like flaps, they are deflectable surfaces. When they are released, a gap is also formed. Usually they are managed simultaneously with the first ones, but they can be managed separately.

Exists two types of slats - automatic and adaptive.

Interceptors

Their other name is spoilers. These are wing surfaces that are deflected or released into the flow. Their task is to increase aerodynamic drag and reduce lift.

These are its main parts that ensure its smooth operation.

Types of wings

You can see a photo of the airplane wing above. They vary greatly in their design and structural features.

According to their shape there are straight lines, swept, reverse swept, triangular, trapezoidal, etc.

Swept wings are the most popular. They have many advantages. There is an increase in lift and . It also has disadvantages, but still they are not so significant due to significant advantages.

Airplanes with forward-swept wings - better controlled at low speeds, efficient in terms of aerodynamic properties. One of their disadvantages is that the design requires special materials that would create sufficient wing rigidity.

On Tuesday, the main “black box” of the Tu-154 that crashed in Sochi was delivered to Moscow. The Life publication published a transcript, the authenticity of which was not officially confirmed, but it followed from it that the crew had problems with the flaps. And an Interfax source, in turn, said that the Tu-154 could have crashed due to a “stall” with insufficient wing lift for takeoff.

“According to preliminary data, the flaps on board operated inconsistently, as a result of their failure to release, the lifting force was lost, the speed was not sufficient to gain altitude, and the plane crashed,” said a source at the operational headquarters for work at the scene.

Novaya Gazeta asked experts to comment on the version with flaps.

Andrey Litvinov

1st class pilot, Aeroflot

— Flaps are very critical. We ( pilots — ed.) at the very beginning they assumed that these were flaps - as soon as it became clear that it was not fuel or weather. There were several versions - technical, pilot error. But it can be both. A technical problem resulted in a pilot error.

Flaps are needed only for takeoff and landing - the wing area increases, the lifting force increases, therefore, the plane needs a shorter takeoff distance than without flaps. You take off with the flaps, gain altitude, and the flaps retract. But they may not clean up if something is broken, or they may not clean up synchronously - one is faster, the other is slower. If they don’t clean up at all, it’s not a big deal; the plane flies on and on. He doesn't go into a dive. The commander simply reports to the ground that he has such a technical problem, returns to the airfield and lands - with the flaps extended, as required during a normal landing. And engineers are already figuring out what the problem is.

But if they are removed asynchronously, then the plane crashes, that’s what’s scary. On one plane of the wing the lift force becomes greater than on the second, and the plane begins to roll and, as a result, falls on its side. If the plane falls over, dives, and begins to lower its nose, the crew instinctively begins to pull the yoke towards themselves and increase the engine speed - this is absolutely normal. But the pilot must control the spatial position of the aircraft.
There is a concept - supercritical angle of attack. This is the angle at which air begins to escape from the wing. The wing becomes at a certain angle, its upper part is not flown around by air, and the plane begins to fall, because nothing is holding it in the air.

I flew the TU-154 for 8 years. I had no problems with the flaps, there were minor failures, nothing serious. It was a good reliable plane in its time. But that was 25 years ago. This is a product of its time. Aeroflot has all new planes - we fly Airbuses and Boeings. And the Ministry of Defense flies the TU-154. Yes, you need to make your own planes, yes, but at least let them take a superjet. Modern aircraft have a lot of protection systems; it is actually a flying computer. If some situation happens, the automation prevents the plane from stalling, which helps the pilot a lot. These same planes are all in manual mode, all in manual control. But this does not mean that it should fall, it must be technically sound. It must undergo maintenance. The question for the technicians is why such a serious breakdown occurred on this plane. Anyone can make a mistake. The crew does have experience, but military pilots generally don’t fly much. A military pilot flies 150 hours a year. And civilian - 90 hours per month.

Surprise could also have worked, they did not expect such a development of events, they did not have enough reaction to cope. This does not mean that they are inexperienced. Don't forget that the time was 5 am. Just sleep, the body is relaxed, the reaction is initially inhibited. We have been saying for a long time that we should ban night flights or reduce them to a minimum, we should strive to fly during the day, this is what many European companies do.

You also need to remember that the plane was heavy; the fuel tanks, cargo, and passengers were full. There was little time to make a decision. They didn't have time. This situation, of course, must be worked out. I don’t know how the army trains pilots, but here at Aeroflot it’s being worked on. There is an algorithm of actions for every emergency situation. Everything is endlessly practiced on the simulator. Did this crew go to the simulator when? If you were on the simulator, did you practice specific flap exercises? We are waiting for answers from the investigation.

Source close to the investigation

— Now the entire technical investigation is being conducted by the Ministry of Defense. This is a military aircraft - the Air Force Institute in Lyubertsy is engaged in deciphering the recorders, and all the recorders, units, and systems were transported to Lyubertsy. Flaps are not a critical situation, but in principle a controlled and manageable situation. There is an algorithm for actions in case of desynchronization or incorrect position of the flaps. Pilots are trained in everything, including in simulators; for every emergency, the flight crew practices how to behave, how to control the aircraft. Each aircraft has its own specifics; algorithms have been developed for the Tu-154. A combination of technical problems and human factors can be assumed, but there is still not enough information.

Vadim Lukashevich

Independent aviation expert, candidate of technical sciences

— Failure to retract the flaps is not a disaster. This is a very unpleasant event, but nothing bad should happen from it. And in my opinion, a combination of circumstances and the actions of the crew led to the disaster in the Black Sea.

The essence of airplane flaps is to increase the lift of the wing at low speeds. How a wing works - the higher the speed, the greater the lift. But when the plane takes off, the speed is still low, the same as during landing. And in order to prevent the lift force from decreasing when the speed drops, the flaps in question are extended. You also need to understand that during takeoff the flaps do not extend as much as during landing. When the aircraft is taxiing on the runway, the flaps are already extended, and at the moment of takeoff, the landing gear is sequentially retracted, braking the aircraft, and after 15-20 seconds the flaps are also retracted, hindering the plane as its speed increases. In addition to lifting force, they also create additional air resistance and an additional diving moment - when the plane “wants” to lower its nose.

What happened at the time of the disaster? A heavy, loaded plane, filled with fuel, takes off, the pilots retract the flaps, but for some reason this does not work. In theory, you can continue the flight normally and in this state, without picking up speed, you can turn around and land to fix the problem. It is possible to land with the flaps in this position, but the landing speed will be higher and it will not be very easy. But obviously there was no such solution here. Perhaps the problem with the flaps was not noticed immediately, and when the plane began to lower its nose, words deciphered from the recorder may have been spoken.

The term “wing mechanization” in English sounds like “high lift devices,” which literally means devices for increasing lift. This is precisely the main purpose of the wing mechanization, and where the planes related to the wing mechanization are located and how they increase the lift force, as well as why this is needed, this article will tell you.

Wing mechanization is a list of devices that are installed on the wing of an aircraft to change its characteristics during different stages of flight. The main purpose of an airplane wing is to create lift. This process depends on several parameters - the speed of the aircraft, air density, wing area and its lift coefficient.

Wing mechanization directly affects the wing area and its lift coefficient, and also indirectly affects its speed. The lift coefficient depends on the curvature of the wing and its thickness. Accordingly, we can conclude that the mechanization of the wing, in addition to the wing area, also increases its curvature and profile thickness.

In fact, this is not entirely true, because increasing the thickness of the profile is associated with greater technological difficulties, is not as effective and leads more to an increase in drag, therefore this point must be discarded; accordingly, the mechanization of the wing increases its area and curvature. This is done with the help of moving parts (planes) located at certain points of the wing. Based on location and function, the wing mechanization is divided into flaps, slats and spoilers (interceptors).

Airplane flaps. Main types.

Flaps are the first type of wing mechanization invented, and they are also the most effective. They were widely used even before the Second World War, and during and after it their design was refined and new types of flaps were also invented. The main characteristics that indicate that this is indeed a flap are its location and the manipulations that occur with it. The flaps are always located on the trailing edge of the wing and always go down, and, moreover, can be extended back. When the flap is lowered, the curvature of the wing increases, and when it extends, the area increases. And since the lift of a wing is directly proportional to its area and lift coefficient, then if both quantities increase, the flap performs its function most effectively. According to their design and manipulation, flaps are divided into:

simple flaps (the very first and simplest type of flaps)
shield flaps
slotted flaps
Fowler flaps (the most effective and most widely used type of flap in civil aviation)

How all of the above flaps function is shown in the diagram. A simple flap, as can be seen from the diagram, is simply the trailing edge of the wing deflected down. Thus, the curvature of the wing increases, but the low pressure area above the wing decreases, therefore simple flaps are less effective than shield flaps, the upper edge of which does not deviate and the low pressure area does not lose in size.

The slotted flap gets its name from the gap it creates after deflection. This gap allows the air stream to pass to the low pressure area and is directed in such a way as to prevent stall (a process during which the amount of lift drops sharply), giving it additional energy.

The Fowler flap extends back and down, thereby increasing both the area and curvature of the wing. As a rule, it is designed in such a way that when it is pulled out, it also creates a gap, or two, or even three. Accordingly, it performs its function most efficiently and can provide an increase in lifting force of up to 100%.

Slats. Main functions.

Slats are deflectable surfaces on the leading edge of the wing. In their structure and functions, they are similar to Fowler flaps - they deflect forward and down, increasing the curvature and slightly the area, forming a gap for the passage of air flow to the upper edge of the wing, thereby increasing the lift force. Slats that are simply deflected downwards and do not create a gap are called deflected leading edges and only increase the curvature of the wing.

Spoilers and their tasks.

Spoilers. Before considering spoilers, it should be noted that when creating additional lift, all of the above devices create additional drag, which leads to a decrease in speed. But this occurs as a consequence of an increase in lift, while the task of spoilers is specifically to significantly increase drag and press the aircraft to the ground after touching down. Accordingly, this is the only wing mechanization device, which is located on its upper surface and deflects upward, which creates downforce.

Flaps

Flaps- deflectable surfaces symmetrically located on the trailing edge of the wing. The flaps in the retracted state are a continuation of the wing surface, while in the extended state they can move away from it with the formation of cracks. Used to improve the wing's load-bearing capacity during takeoff, climb, descent and landing, as well as when flying at low speeds.

The principle of operation of flaps is that when they are extended, the curvature of the profile and (in some cases) the surface area of the wing increases, therefore, the lift force also increases. In addition, extending the flaps increases aerodynamic drag. When releasing the flaps, there is usually a need to rebalance the aircraft due to the occurrence of an additional longitudinal moment, which complicates the control of the aircraft. Flaps that form profiled slits during release are called slotted. Flaps can consist of several sections, forming several slits (usually from one to three). For example, the domestic Tu-154M uses double-slot flaps, and the Tu-154B uses three-slot flaps. The slots facilitate the flow of air flow from the lower surface to the upper, simultaneously accelerating it. This helps to delay the stall of the flaps and, thus, increase the possible angle of their deflection and the permissible angle of attack.

Flaperons

Flaperons, or “hovering ailerons” - ailerons that can also perform the function of flaps when they are deflected down in phase. Widely used in ultra-light aircraft and radio-controlled model aircraft when flying at low speeds, as well as during takeoff and landing. Sometimes used on heavier aircraft (for example, Su-27). The main advantage of flaperons is their ease of implementation on the basis of existing ailerons and servos.

Slats

Slats- deflectable surfaces installed on the leading edge of the wing. When deflected, they form a gap similar to that of slotted flaps. Slats that do not form a gap are called deflectable leading edges. As a rule, the slats are automatically deflected simultaneously with the flaps, but can also be controlled independently.

In general, the effect of slats is to increase the permissible angle of attack, that is, flow separation from the upper surface of the wing occurs at a higher angle of attack.

In addition to simple ones, there are so-called adaptive slats. Adaptive slats automatically deflect to ensure optimal wing aerodynamic performance throughout the flight. Roll control is also ensured at high angles of attack using asynchronous control of adaptive slats.

Interceptors

Interceptors (spoilers)- surfaces deflected or released into the flow on the upper and (or) lower surface of the wing, which increase aerodynamic drag and reduce (increase) lift. Therefore, spoilers are also called direct lift control elements. Spoilers should not be confused with air brakes.

Depending on the surface area of the console, its location on the wing, etc., interceptors are divided into:

External aileron spoilers

Aileron spoilers They are an addition to the ailerons and are used mainly for roll control. They deviate asymmetrically. For example, on a Tu-154, when the left aileron is deflected upward by an angle of up to 20°, the aileron-interceptor on the same console automatically deflects upward by an angle of up to 45°. As a result, the lift on the left wing console decreases, and the plane rolls to the left.

For some aircraft, for example, the MiG-23, spoilers (along with a differentially deflected stabilizer) are the main roll control element.

Spoilers

Spoilers (interceptors)- lift dampers.

The symmetrical activation of spoilers on both wing consoles leads to a sharp decrease in lift and braking of the aircraft. After release, the aircraft balances at a higher angle of attack, begins to slow down due to increased drag and gradually descend. It is possible to change the vertical speed without changing the pitch angle.

Spoilers are also actively used to dampen lift after landing or during an aborted takeoff and to increase drag. It should be noted that they do not so much dampen the speed directly as they reduce the lift of the wing, which leads to an increase in the load on the wheels and improved traction of the wheels with the surface. Thanks to this, after releasing the internal spoilers, you can proceed to braking using the wheels.

Notes

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See what “Flaps” are in other dictionaries:

flap Encyclopedia "Aviation"

flap- Flaps. flap profiled, usually deviating element of the wing mechanization, located along its trailing edge and designed to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft. Z. are used during takeoff and... ... Encyclopedia "Aviation"

1 Ending. 2 Aileron. 3 Vysokosk ... Wikipedia

The wing (left console) of an aircraft with extended mechanization. Wing mechanization is a set of devices on the wing of an aircraft designed to regulate its load-bearing properties. Mechanization includes flaps, slats,... ... Wikipedia

Flaps- these are special devices on the wing of an aircraft necessary to regulate its load-bearing properties.

The flaps are symmetrically located deflectable surfaces. The flaps are located on the rear of the wing. When retracted, the flaps are an extension of the wing. In the extended position they change the profile of the wing.

Let's see what the flaps look like when retracted and extended.

The flaps, when retracted, form part of the wing profile.

When extended, the flaps significantly change the curvature of the wing, resulting in increased drag and lift.

When the flaps are extended, the curvature of the profile and the surface area of the wing increase. Since the surface area of the wing has increased, the load-bearing capacity of the wing also increases, which allows the aircraft to fly at a lower speed without stalling.

In addition, when the flaps are extended, aerodynamic drag increases, which causes a decrease in speed.

Flaps are typically used to improve the load-bearing capacity of a wing during takeoff, landing, climb and descent, and when flying at low speeds.

How to use flaps in flight simulators

Flight simulators, for example War Thunder, use several different flap positions - takeoff, landing, combat.

In the arcade simulator World of warplanes, the flaps can be in two states - retracted and extended. You can assign a key for releasing the flaps in the game settings.

Flap retracted

Flap extended

Extending the flaps in World of Warplanes, as in real life, will increase the aerodynamic drag of the wing, and, as a result, the speed of the aircraft will begin to drop. This effect is convenient to use when it is necessary to reduce the flight speed, for example, when attacking ground targets or when exiting a dive.

As mentioned earlier, extending the flaps allows you to increase the load-bearing capacity of the wing, and will allow you to fly at low speed without stalling, which turns out to be useful for attack aircraft attacking ground targets at low speed.

Also, the release of flaps allows you to somewhat improve the maneuverability of the aircraft in combat. There is a special one for this - the combat position of the flaps, in World of warplanes the situation is somewhat simplified, there is only one option - the flaps are extended. Extending the flaps in a turn can make the turn more abrupt, but remember that the flaps slow down your plane, so watch your speed and control the engine thrust.

And most importantly, flaps in WoWp are needed only in some combat situations, which are described above. Don't forget to release the button and retract the flaps.