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Trim F976 Center Bottom Skin "flaplets"?

DrillBit

Well Known Member
Currently rigging flaps and haven't found anything in the builder's manual or a Google search of VAF about trimming (or not) the little rectangular "flaplets" of the Center Bottom Skin, F-976, extending aft out from under the rear spar attach bolt.

Starting with a flap hanging down free from its hinge points, I've successfully remembered to gently push the flaplet skin out of way when raising the flap to connect it with the actuation weldment. It seems the flaplet might underlap the flap on purpose as a gap covering. But when the flaps are lowered, their bottoms will bear on the flaplets' corners, chafing the flap and bending the flaplets by more than non-fatigue-inducing amounts.

Should these flaplets be trimmed so they don't interfere with flap motion, from fully up to when hanging free, unattached to the actuator? It sure would remove a gotcha, as I have more than a few iterations yet to go before the flaps are rigged to aileron neutral. On the other hand, if the flaplets weren't pushed by the slipstream against the flap bottoms in flight, would they buzz, flutter, and fatigue unto failure just as well?
 
Hey Kurt,
Going by memory, these stay. They do rub but don't cause a problem.
 
I put some thin UHMW plastic tape on the top them and that works well to alleviate any chafing when the flaps move up and down.

The flaps have gone up and down thousands of times and the metal tab hasn't fallen off yet! :D
 
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