Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Minimum Flaps Retraction Altitude [VFR]

Asked by: 3342 views
Aircraft Systems, Student Pilot

Hi , i would like to know is there any restriction for minimum flaps retraction altitude  ?  or just clear of obstacle then It's ok to retract flaps ? But how high from Obstacle I can retract flaps ?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers



  1. RickS on Sep 14, 2017

    I’m not a CFI, but I think as long as you can maintain a positive rate of climb, you are fine. AFAIK there is no hard and fast rule.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes

  2. Best Answer


    John Scarry on Sep 18, 2017

    According to the Airplane Flying Handbook,

    “On short-field takeoffs, the landing gear and flaps should remain in takeoff position until the airplane is clear of obstacles (or as recommended by the manufacturer) and VY has been established. Until all obstacles have been cleared, the pilot must maintain focus outside the airplane instead of reaching for landing gear or flap controls or looking inside the airplane for any reason. When the airplane is stabilized at VY, the landing gear (if retractable) and flaps should be retracted. It is usually advisable to raise the flaps in increments to avoid sudden loss of lift and settling of the airplane.”

    There is a slight loss of lift when retracting the flaps, so you don’t want to drop back down into an obstacle—or fail to clear an obstacle. You are usually pretty busy flying the airplane and monitoring the instruments for the first few hundred feet, but after that things slow down enough that you can lower the flaps and raise the gear.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.