Tonight I installed the parts for the flap positioning system. This is an optional cockpit convenience item, and is not absolutely necessary for flight – however, I really wished I had one when I had the last RV, so into this airplane one will go.
The normal flap system involves a toggle switch that you press and hold to move the flaps up and down; you keep holding the switch until the flaps get to where you want them to be. This is the same arrangement as early Cessna 150's and my old Grumman, among others.
Instead of that setup, my airplane will have this sensor thingy attached to the flap motor – a very clever and simple arrangement involving a machined rod sliding between two microswitches – and a control box mounted nearby. Bumping the flap switch briefly down will automatically lower the flaps one notch each time, and flipping the switch to the up position will run them all the way up. Very cool.
I mounted the control box to the inside of the seat back brace with screws and nuts. It's kind of a pain the way the flap motor and control box are permanently wired together – it certainly makes handling these parts problematic. I'll probably cut the wire bundle and splice in a connector so the flap motor can more easily be removed for maintenance.
