Beech Baron
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 8,571
Likes: 3
From: Arizona USA
Climb rate, or rather lack thereof, on one engine is the primary reason.
Unless the runway is very short, the use of flaps for takeoff on most (but not all) general aviation single and multi engine piston powered aeroplanes is not an especially good idea.
Modified or original build STOL types excepted.
The reason is quite simple.
Nearly all airfoil sections, whether swept wing or straight, will exhibit improved rate of climb with no flaps versus flaps extended.
This is especially important for light multi-engine piston powered GA types, which have, at best, limited climb ability with an engine failed.
Turboprops?
Well, the Cessna 441 for example does indeed use flaps for takeoff, but OTOH has rather good performance on one engine, thanks to the SHP available.
Unless the runway is very short, the use of flaps for takeoff on most (but not all) general aviation single and multi engine piston powered aeroplanes is not an especially good idea.
Modified or original build STOL types excepted.
The reason is quite simple.
Nearly all airfoil sections, whether swept wing or straight, will exhibit improved rate of climb with no flaps versus flaps extended.
This is especially important for light multi-engine piston powered GA types, which have, at best, limited climb ability with an engine failed.
Turboprops?
Well, the Cessna 441 for example does indeed use flaps for takeoff, but OTOH has rather good performance on one engine, thanks to the SHP available.
Está servira para distraerle.
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
From: In a perambulator.
You asked for an aerodynamic reason for the flap discrepancy and so here goes....
From long gone memory, is not the wing surface of the B55, from just aft of the leading edge until the flap itself rather high profile riveted and is not that of the B58 much smoother and more aerodynamic?
One regrets that the front garden provides access to neither machine to check this but it was a bit of a memory nuisance when transferring from one to the other in the good old days of barnstorming bush bashing.
