a FLAP
by any other
name…
TODD S. PARKER,
EAA 516580
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS ESSENTIAL CONTROL SURFACE
levator, rudder, aileron…what do they have in common? They
are all flaps. Wait, aren’t “flaps” those things that hang down
on the wings when airplanes land?
When Wilbur and Orville Wright built their 1903 Flyer, they
were the first to have controls for all three axes of the aircraft:
The Wrights quickly patented their three-axis control system, including
wing-twist controls. Some modern aircraft are now looking at going back to
that system; however, most of us use the hinged control surfaces known as
ailerons, elevators, rudders, or flaps. In aerodynamic speak, all of these surfaces are referred to simply as “flaps.”
