flaps

kontiki wrote:
Blueskies wrote:


Why are you beating up the plane?

I was taught and used to teach that any landing without full flaps was
an 'emergency' landing. The airplane has a landing configuration and
the performance in the book is based on that configuration...

It is good to practice emergency landings every so often.


Beating up my plane? Have you ever flown a Comanche? All you
need is 20 degrees for smooth and graceful landings in a PA24.
If I'm going into a really short field (2000 feet?) then I'll
use full flaps.

All the 182's I've ever flown only need 20 degrees of flap
for nice landings too. Go full flaps and its like an anvil
with a parachute. The 182 is a great short field airplane.

I can make nice landings with 0 or 40 degrees of flaps. The flaps don't
land the airplane.

A 182 with full flaps still glides just fine. The Arrow I now fly which
has a 3-blade prop is much worse than my 182 in the glide ratio
department. I can barely make a 180 power-off landing with it. You
have to turn base as soon as you cut power abeam the landing spot or
you'll never make it!

Matt