AF 447 Thread No. 7

[Turbine D]

Lyman,

In the BEA IR#2, go to page 20. There you will see a photo of the flap extension #3 in the extended position.

Go to page 21. There you will see a flap extension #3 in the retracted position.

Both photos are from an identical A-330 aircraft, not AF447.

The photo of flap extension from the floor of the sea posted by PJ2 is from a series of photos taken by the BEA from the wreckage, but is not in BEA IR#3. Only 4 photos are shown in the report, an engine, a wing section, a fuselage section and the nose landing gear.

Now, if you go to PJ2's post containing the flap extension drawings, you will see how the mechanism works. As the flap actuator rotates clockwise, the flap is pushed rearward and is pulled downward by the carriage as it travels down the angled track. Conversely, when the actuator is rotated counterclockwise, the flap is pulled forward and is pushed upward as it moves up the angled track to its nesting position. IMO, the photo of AF447's flap is in the retracted position.

Hope this clears up your confusion. But Lyman, I have a question: Why is this flap or spoiler position important at all? This large swept wing jet was descending at a pitch up of 16.3º, an AoA of at least 35º or more and a vertical speed equal to the horizontal speed of ~124 miles per hour. So what exactly would flaps extended or spoiler extended do in this situation?

TD