Like so many airplane aficionados, I have always had an appreciation for watching others land an airplane. There is a serenity in being an observer with no responsibility for the outcome of the procedure. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons so many airport restaurants are constructed with a viewing area.
Years ago, I stood in the grassy infield of Lakeland Linder International Airport in Florida as the wonders of SUN ‘n FUN took place all around me. Beside me was a former U.S. Navy pilot I had connected with at the show. He was working for an experimental aircraft manufacturer at the time. I was writing and taking pictures on a more or less full-time basis while I flew as a CFI on a part-time basis.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, the big New Standard biplane hauling rides at the show was piloted by the legendary Joe Kittenger. Joe came to the public eye for willingly acting as a human missile, free-falling from a gas balloon on the edge of space.
Years later he would put his experience to use again when he acted as a technical advisor and mentor to Felix Baumgartner when the latter recreated Kittenger’s feat from an even higher altitude.
Both were remarkable men. Both are gone now.
As my new acquaintance and I stood in the sunshine, shielding our eyes as we watched the big biplane slip in for another touch-down on the grass, my new compatriot asked, “Why is he slipping on every landing?”
I answered flatly, “He pretty much has to. He’s got no flaps.”
The look he flashed me was one of absolute incredulity. The idea of an airplane with no flaps was a revelation to him. Who knew?
I get it. Secondary flight controls have been so prevalent in modern times many pilots have never flown an airplane that didn’t include flaps as standard equipment.
The idea that such devices weren’t always present on flying machines might easily surprise some of us. Although I must admit, until that moment it had never occurred to me that all pilots weren’t aware of the long road to the technical advancements we think of as being ubiquitous in our time.
This become especially clear to me a couple years ago when I posted a specific video to the Mad Props Aero YouTube channel. The camera was in the cockpit of a Cessna 152 I was using to check out a very capable CFI who was intending to use the airplane to provide familiarization flights to high school students.
There’s nothing unusual about a check-out. We simply brief before the flight, run through much of the standard air work any primary student might be expected to learn, do a series of landings in various configurations, then debrief at the conclusion of the flight. No big deal.
Except on this flight something unusual happened. As my client configured the airplane for slow flight, she found she was chasing the pitch of the airplane in a way that was very much out of the ordinary. The problem was not her technique. She wasn’t under or overcontrolling.
Rather, the flaps were extending downward, then retracting, then extending again. They refused to settle down into a fixed position.
Recognizing the problem, we raised the flaps and opted to continue the flight as a no-flap exercise. Having a fair amount of time in airplanes like the J-3 Cub that don’t have flaps, I saw this as an opportunity rather than a serious consideration.
The ammeter told us the flaps were fully retracted and not pulling power. There was no fire risk. No runaway secondary controls were causing us trouble. We simply continued the slow flight demo with no flaps.
She flew through the maneuver beautifully.
What surprised me was the number of comments that expressed either real concern that we’d dodged a bullet or, worse, the suggestion that we were unsafe pilots because we didn’t terminate the flight immediately.
Franky, I’m not of the opinion a failed secondary control warrants and emergency landing in a cow pasture. I’ve flown airplanes with bigger problems and always managed to get them back to an airport without incident. This was, by comparison, small potatoes. Very nearly a non-issue.
I’ve often taken the opportunity to practice no-flap landings when I’ve got the space to do them safety. In-flight problems aren’t nearly so daunting if you’ve studied the potential of the situation and practiced the failure in real life.
I’ll stand by that belief.
The flap failure wasn’t nearly as much of a concern as the acrimony we experienced in the comments section. How, I wondered, could this many people be of the opinion that a relatively benign secondary control failure was a life-threatening issue? Especially when there was no electrical issue associated with it. No fire. No smoke. No blown breakers.
Pilots should be capable of determining the severity of a problem and a safe course of action. Immediately heading for home isn’t always the appropriate choice.
In 1916 the Fairey Hamble Baby appeared on the scene. A British biplane that resembled the Sopwith Baby, it was the first airframe fitted with something that might be considered a plain flap. The aft section of the lower wing could be moved downward to increase lift.
A brilliant idea. Yet, the more complex build combined with the need for additional pilot training were factors that kept the flap from being widely incorporated into aircraft for many years to come. In fact, some widely admired aircraft of the World War II era were still flying flapless.
The PBY Catalina is a prime example. So, too, the Fairey Swordfish and the aforementioned Piper J3 Cub.
Make no mistake, flaps are beneficial. Especially when departing a short runway with obstacles at the end or when landing on that same runway with equally menacing obstacles on the approach. But for most light general aviation airplanes they aren’t necessary. They’re just helpful. They are, after all, secondary to the control of the aircraft.
We practice emergency procedures and are tested on them with each check ride we do. Perhaps it’s worth including non-emergency procedures in that training, too. Knowing when to head for the pasture and when to continue the flight without a care in the world can make all the difference.
There’s no need to tear up a perfectly good airplane in an emergency landing just because a light burned out, a secondary flight control failed, or the person beside you lets their breakfast loose in the cockpit.
That’s my perspective anyway. What’s yours?
No flap landing in a B737; no problem other than fast as far as handling. Vref 40 +55
I vaguely remember said article. However, even though I’m apparently one of the “usual suspect” commenters, and like to razz Jamie, I don’t remember if I responded to it or not. If I did, I hope I wasn’t one of the acrimonious “screamers” …or one of the macho “chest-thumpers” (my terms) either.
I probably would’ve played Devil’s Advocate and respectfully pointed out some inconvenient truths.
Technically …according to NTSB Part 830; Subpart B-Initial Notification of Aircraft Accidents, Incidents, and Overdue Aircraft;
“The operator of any civil aircraft, or any public aircraft not operated by the Armed Forces or an intelligence agency of the United States, or any foreign aircraft shall immediately, and by the most expeditious means available, notify the nearest National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) office, when:
(a) An aircraft accident or any of the following listed serious incidents occur:
(1) Flight control system malfunction or failure…”
Notice paragraph (a) says “ …or any of the following serious incidents…”
In this case, the NTSB doesn’t equivocate, or differentiate between “primary and secondary” flight controls, or big plane vs. little plane, or Part 91 vs. Part 135 vs. Part 121…
I absolutely agree that “Pilots should be capable of determining the severity of a problem and a safe course of action.” However, it may not have been serious to you, but by anyone’s definition, flaps are a “flight control system”, and despite your thorough trouble-shooting efforts, you did have an in-flight “flight control system malfunction”.
“Especially when there was no electrical issue associated with it. No fire. No smoke. No blown breakers.” I’m also assuming there was no smell from an overheated Flap Motor located in the right wing root.
That is good news, but even given your experience and systems knowledge, there is no checklist in the Cessna 152 POH for a “Flap Malfunction”. In other words, you were betting they’d stay mechanically retracted, but since you had no idea what went wrong, you also had no idea what might happen next. If you had to execute a subsequent “Landing Without Elevator Control” in your 152, you’d have been screwed. Remember, Devil’s Advocate.
Even though I would not expect you to have to file an NTSB Form 6120.1 for this “non-issue” …I probably would’ve called them anyway just to confirm they didn’t need any more info from you. Who knows; maybe you were the 20th Cessna 152 ‘Flap Malfunction’ reported that week? I’m betting you didn’t call.
I also agree that “immediately heading for home isn’t always the appropriate choice.” I don’t think that it warranted an emergency landing in a cow pasture either, but it did probably fall into the “land as soon as practical” bucket.
I understand that “land as soon as practical” is a bit subjective …but continuing to fly for an extended period–even if it is over (and repeatedly touching down on) an airport–is probably a stretch.
I believe in being proficient in ‘no flap’ landings and slips …whether you’re actually flap-equipped or not. I do lots of both in a variety of airplanes. I’m also all for taking advantage of safe, meaningful training opportunities that present themselves to you.
But I bet the FAA would say that if you’re practicing those in a flap-equipped airplane …they’d rather the flaps actually did work, and have you ”simulate” that they don’t, as opposed to continuing to fly with some that actually don’t.
Anyway, I’m all for getting the FAA’s vote: Where’s that DPE guy?
I agree! I teach no-flap landings even though they are not a required maneuver in the ACS. Only comment I’ll add I would pull the flap motor CB (circuit breaker) to ensure the flaps wouldn’t act up again.
I fly a Piper Apache. I heard they were tricky to fly with the door open. So during fly training, I said to my instructor,” let’s open the door and see how it goes”. It shook like crazy, but it flew fine. Not a problem at all. You just have to get used to it shaking. But it flies and lands safely.
I read of *two* recent incidents where the Beech Baron was crashed after the door came open on takeoff. I had it happen twice in my Baron 300AS (my fault both times for not double checking the passenger’s closing of it). Big deal… the door opens a few inches, there’s a lot of noise, and not much more. The first time I tried to close it in the air (after getting the gear up and into a stabilized climb) and that was a loser. Not really an emergency, just get into the pattern and land. Then close it.
It always amazes me to learn of a crash because a door opened slightly in flight and the pilot tends to the door instead of the flight. #1. Fly the Airplane.
I remember the original article and all the new kids screaming about slipping being scary and not safe I used Piper Colts in my FBO/flight school back in the ‘90’s because they were “basic” flying machines. They taught almost as well as our Champ… or today, lisa’s Citabria. They were “Land-O-Matic” (plagiarized from the early days of the “new” C172) …aka nose draggers but demonstrated controlled flight in all its glory. Flaps, glass panels etc distract from learning to fly as calculators distract from learning math. If you can do it with a pencil and your brain you understood how math works. “Secondary” stuff… and let’s ultimately include stuff like airspeed indicators and even compasses and radios. NONE of those make the aircraft levitate… or stay levitated. The old “rule one”.. FLY THE AIRPLANE” means you should be able to control the aircraft and safely complete any reasonable maneuver with what you have. If the flaps are stuck down you probably shouldn’t initiate a takeoff but if you’ve never tried climbing, at a safe altitude, with full flaps your tool box is missing a tool. There may come a time when someone/thing blocks your landing runway and the full flaps won’t retract. if you have learned in a safe environment then you can safely fly your airplane. There is lots to learn about flying…even after doing it for 57 years. “Secondary”?…. Even if there is some smoke leaking out, if you can fly what you’ve got don’t wrap up a flying machine because you gave up.
Landing NO FLAPS? No biggie! Just make your final 10 knots faster than with full flaps (typically) — just a matter of making final as Private Students do — abiding by the POH approach speed (valid only at Gross — which NEVER HAPPENS {unless you took off grossly overweight to begin with}).
If your passenger lost his/her cookies all over the place, probably the stench might cause the pilot to gag and choke and lose HIS/HER cookies all over the dashboard, etc. I’d say turn around, land, and get the people and airplane cleaned and de-fumed before another takeoff. One man’s opinion, worth what you paid for it.
Regards/J
I totally agree with you, Jamie.
And this old critical quote,
FLY THE WING!”
Everything else, is ancillary.
I wouldn’t have had any problems continuing the flight as you did with a very good analysis of the issues. However I’d be concerned about anyone thinking that power controls altitude (1:56 – “we’re using power to maintain altitude”).