Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Adding flaps in a turn?

Asked by: 2550 views
Aerodynamics, Flight Instructor, Student Pilot

Is there a risk of an inadvertent roll when adding flaps in a turn? I'm curious as to peoples thoughts on the topic as I've heard multiple views on this! I've been having my students do 90kts & 10' on downwind, 80kts & 20' on base, and 70kts & 30' on final........But I flew with the DPE the other day who is/will be giving my students check-rides. He put 30' flaps in on the downwind to base turn our airspeed at the time was above the white arc (5-10kts). He said it was all about aircraft attitude. I asked him about asymmetrical flap extension and he said it would never happen. I'm a new CFI and I want to be able to stand my ground on this topic, that is if I'm correct. Thanks

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. Drew on Jan 31, 2017

    http://www.askacfi.com/29504/possible-dangers-of-adding-flaps-in-a-turn.htm is a good starting point

    +2 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Ken White on Jan 31, 2017

    My 2 cents. If the DPE likes to see all the flaps dumped on the downwind to base turn that is his preference. As a DPE he is required to evaluate your student based on the ACS standards. The standards basically say that as long as the student is on a stabilized approach with the recommended flap settings and approach speeds they are good. I’m sure a DPE see things all the time they would have taught differently but as long as your student flies the maneuvers to ACS standards the DPE has to pass them. If the DPE fails a student for something not listed in the ACS but instead based on their preference I would first plead my case to that DPE and if that didn’t work I’d go straight to the local FSDO.

    BTW, the technique you listed for pattern speed/flaps is widely taught by many CFI’s including myself.

    +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.