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Chapter-4 Slow Flight-V20_Sport Pilot Handbook 8/30/2021 5:49 PM Page 20

4-20 Rod Machado’s How to Fly an Airplane Handbook

ready to apply a little forward elevator pres-
A Entering Slow Flight With Half Flaps
sure to correct for this pitching movement. On
some airplanes, however, the nose pitches
down with flap application, while on others, it
pitches up with the first two notches of flaps
and down with the last notch applied (this all
depends on the airplane’s aerodynamics).
2
None of this should cause a flap, because Reduce power
it doesn’t matter which way the nose goes.
Your job is to know and anticipate what your
airplane will do, and correct for it. It’s simply
good airmanship to prevent any sudden pitch
change whenever possible (it prevents the
“What the heck was that?” verbal query from
your passengers not to mention a bad grade 1 Apply carb heat
on the secret “passenger” post-flight evalua-
tion survey).
B
After applying the first 10 degrees (or
one notch) of flaps and simultaneously Half Flaps
correcting for the pitch change, apply Extended
the next 10 degrees or second notch of
flaps, once again correcting for any
pitch changes. Since you’re applying
flaps while in level flight, you have to 4 Apply
keep adjusting the nose to maintain your al- flaps when
titude, but with each successive notch or in- 3 Raise nose below Vfe
crement of flap application you’ll typically be
able to progressively lower the nose and fly
at a lower nose-down attitude. This is, after
all, one of the benefits of flying slow with half
flaps applied. You get a slightly better view
over the nose of the airplane.
At about five knots above the slow flight C
speed of 60 knots (Figure 22, position C),
begin adding power at a rate that allows you
to maintain altitude while using your elevator
to control airspeed. Be prepared to move the
5
throttle forward quickly. A lethargic, sloth- When 5 knots
like, near-narcoleptic delay in moving the above desired
throttle won’t gain you membership in airspeed, add
power
the famed Slow Flight Fan Club (which
consists of me and your instructor).
While moving the throttle forward,
use nose-up trim and apply a little
right rudder, as we discussed previ- 7
Trim nose-up
ously. Congratulations, you now know 6
slow, and in this instance that’s good. Add right rudder Fig. 22