Difference between revisions of "Automatic flaps"

From War Thunder Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Visual (beta)Wikitext
(I lack deeper knowledge on the subject, but i want to make this page to put it into game mechanics on "aircraft" main page. I also have no clue what "floating" type flaps mean, maybe it's what i described as "auto". I guess you can moderate it as you like)
 
(→‎List of planes that have this feature: Tested some planes i could. I dislike blanket-marking plane families (appearantly Corsair has no flap protection despite being F4U, maybe a bug, idk.), but i have no choice on the matter.)
 
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
−
Automatic flaps are a feature of aircraft, which allows the aircraft to control flap angle on its own within certain limits.  
+
Automatic flaps are a feature of aircraft, which allows them to control flap angle on their own within certain limits. This feature was added during update [[Update_"Alpha_Strike"#Flight_Model_changes:|"Alpha Strike"]].
  
 
At a minimum, this feature can prevent the pilot from destroying their own flaps and/or help increase the plane turn rate without thinking about it too much. At a maximum (mostly seen past Rank VI), it allows to strategically designate flaps position beforehand and with that enable new moves (which would be impossible otherwise), or smooth over those that would feel clunky otherwise.
 
At a minimum, this feature can prevent the pilot from destroying their own flaps and/or help increase the plane turn rate without thinking about it too much. At a maximum (mostly seen past Rank VI), it allows to strategically designate flaps position beforehand and with that enable new moves (which would be impossible otherwise), or smooth over those that would feel clunky otherwise.
Line 33: Line 33:
 
==List of planes that have this feature==
 
==List of planes that have this feature==
  
−
Be aware that this list is compiled from Patch Notes below and it might not be the complete information as of the time of writing and/or reading.
+
Be aware that this list is compiled from Patch Notes and it might not be the complete information as of the time of writing and/or reading.
  
 
For the sake of simplicity, some plane links currently refer to their entire family (may have a different name in your nation)
 
For the sake of simplicity, some plane links currently refer to their entire family (may have a different name in your nation)
Line 71: Line 71:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| {{Specs-Link|f-5e_fcu_thailand}} || VII || ???
+
| {{Specs-Link|f-5e_fcu_thailand}} || VII || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
Line 77: Line 77:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[F-4_Phantom_II_(Family)|F-4 Phantom II]] || VII - VIII || ???
+
| [[F-4_Phantom_II_(Family)|F-4 Phantom II]] || VII - VIII || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
Line 86: Line 86:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[A-4_(Family)|A-4]] || VI || ???
+
| [[A-4_(Family)|A-4]] || VI || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| {{Specs-Link|a_10a_early}} || VI || ???
+
| {{Specs-Link|a_10a_early}} || VI || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
Line 98: Line 98:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| {{Specs-Link|mirage_f1c_200}} || VII || ???
+
| {{Specs-Link|mirage_f1c_200}} || VII || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
Line 119: Line 119:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| {{Specs-Link|f-84f_israel_iaf}} || VI || ???
+
| {{Specs-Link|f-84f_israel_iaf}} || VI || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
Line 125: Line 125:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[MiG-21_(Family)|MiG-21/J7]] || VI - VII || ???
+
| [[MiG-21_(Family)|MiG-21/J7]] || VI - VII || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[MiG-23_(Family)|MiG-23]] || VI - VII || ???
+
| [[MiG-23_(Family)|MiG-23]] || VI - VII || Protective mechanism
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
Line 143: Line 143:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[F4F (Family)|F4F/Martlet]] || II || ???
+
| [[F4F (Family)|F4F/Martlet]] || II || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
Line 149: Line 149:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[F4U_(Family)|F4U/Corsair/F2G-1/AU-1]] || II - IV || ???
+
| [[F4U_(Family)|F4U/F2G-1/AU-1]] || II - IV || Automatic flaps
−
|-
 
−
|-
 
−
| {{Specs-Link|f2g-1}} || IV || ???
 
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
Line 167: Line 164:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| {{Specs-Link|a7m1}} || IV || ???
+
| {{Specs-Link|a7m1}} || IV || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| {{Specs-Link|j6k1}} || IV || ???
+
| {{Specs-Link|j6k1}} || IV || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
 
|-
−
| [[AD Skyraider (Family)|AD-2/AD-4/A-1H]] || IV || ???
+
| [[AD Skyraider (Family)|AD-2/AD-4/A-1H]] || IV || Automatic flaps
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
−
 
−
Citation from patch notes that introduced this mechanic (as-is):
 
−
 
−
''Flight Model changes:
 
−
 
−
Automatic adjustment of the flap extension limit or automatic retraction of the flap depending on the current speed has been added to the aircraft with automatic flaps, “floating” type flaps and flaps with protective blow-up mechanisms. The list of these aircraft is: F8F-1, F8F-1B, P-51H-5, F-14A, F-14B, F-5E, F-16 (all variants), F-4 Phantom (all variants), AV-8A, AV-8C, AV-8B+, Harrier GR.1, Harrier GR.3, Harrier GR.7, Sea Harrier FRS.1, F-105D, A-4 (all variants), A-10A Early, A-10A Late, Mirage F1C, Mirage F1C-200, Lightning F.6, Lightning F.53, F-84F, F2H-2, MiG-21 (all variants), MiG-23 (all variants), MiG-27 (all variants), MiG-29 (all variants), J-7 (all variants), Typhoon Mk.1, F4F-3/4/Martlet, F6F (all variants), F4U (all variants), F2G-1, N1K1/2, J7W1, A7M (all variants), J6K1, Douglas AD-2/4, A-1H''
 

Latest revision as of 17:43, 24 May 2024

Automatic flaps are a feature of aircraft, which allows them to control flap angle on their own within certain limits. This feature was added during update "Alpha Strike".

At a minimum, this feature can prevent the pilot from destroying their own flaps and/or help increase the plane turn rate without thinking about it too much. At a maximum (mostly seen past Rank VI), it allows to strategically designate flaps position beforehand and with that enable new moves (which would be impossible otherwise), or smooth over those that would feel clunky otherwise.

Protective mechanism

At the lowest level, automatic flap protection prevents the user from deploying flaps when all it can achieve is self-destruction and will automatically disable them when critical speed threshold is crossed. While very prohibitive and sometimes overly sensitive, it will prevent pilots from obliterating their own plane on accident and may even trivialize takeoff procedure for fast planes such as the Lightning F.6.

Msg-info.png Flaps protection does not care that someone might need flaps again in a few seconds and it does not send messages about turning them off. Pay attention!

Pilot must use flaps again manually to deploy them again, and if it's impossible, a prompt will say that they are "blocked" and specify why.

  • Takeoff flaps are not blocked as plane is currently slow

  • Mechanism blocks pilot from using the flaps due to high speed

Automatic flaps

Automatic flaps will adjust themselves to maximize aircraft agility while remaining outside of self-destruct zone. Certain planes inherently use flaps as a part of their movement set and take control away from the pilot entirely (like some rank VIII planes will say "no flaps" despite clearly having them).

Otherwise, with automatic flaps pilot can input desired flap angle (be it combat, landing or takeoff) and the plane will try its best to use the closest possible angle, trusting that the pilot knows what they are doing. For each situation, payload and plane, a different flaps position may be required and it's still a job of the pilot to figure out what they need.

As an extreme example, a VTOL jet such as Harrier GR.3 requires at least takeoff flaps to employ VTOL (as otherwise it may crash due to lack of lift, especially when loaded with bombs), and to fully stop midair it needs landing flaps. It would be an insurmountable task to manually slow down the plane and determine perfect moment to use certain angles of flaps, all while controlling the engine thrust angle and looking for opponents. Automatic flaps allow Harrier pilots to "request" landing flaps position beforehand, so they can focus on task at hand and naturally enter and leave hover state as they slow down to strike or speed up to leave.

  • "Landing" flaps position issued, but not used due to speed

  • "Landing" is in full effect due to a matching speed

  • "Takeoff" is in effect instead due to "landing" destabilizing the plane otherwise

While this may not seem like much to an unaware pilot, the difference in movement is making this feature almost integral for certain aircraft (at least when they are used for their intended purpose).

List of planes that have this feature

Be aware that this list is compiled from Patch Notes and it might not be the complete information as of the time of writing and/or reading.

For the sake of simplicity, some plane links currently refer to their entire family (may have a different name in your nation)

Planes with smart flaps
Aircraft Name Rank Capability level
F8F-1 III  ???
F8F-1B IV  ???
▄F8F-1B IV  ???
P-51H-5-NA IV  ???
F-14A Early VIII  ???
F-14B VIII  ???
F8F-1 III  ???
F-5E VII  ???
␗F-5E VII  ???
▄F-5E FCU VII Automatic flaps
F-16 VIII  ???
F-4 Phantom II VII - VIII Automatic flaps
Harrier/AV-8 VI - VIII Automatic flaps
F-105D VII  ???
A-4 VI Automatic flaps
A-10A VI Automatic flaps
A-10A Late VII  ???
Mirage F1C VII  ???
Mirage F1C-200 VII Automatic flaps
Lightning F.6 VI Protective mechanism
Lightning F.53 VI Protective mechanism
F-84F IAF VI  ???
◄F-84F VI  ???
▄F-84F VI  ???
▄F-84F VI  ???
F-84F VI Automatic flaps
F-84F V  ???
MiG-21/J7 VI - VII Automatic flaps
MiG-23 VI - VII Protective mechanism
MiG-27K VII  ???
MiG-27M VII  ???
MiG-29 VIII  ???
Typhoon II-III Protective mechanism
F4F/Martlet II Automatic flaps
F6F Hellcat II - IV  ???
F4U/F2G-1/AU-1 II - IV Automatic flaps
N1K2-J IV  ???
N1K2-Ja IV  ???
J7W1 IV  ???
A7M2 IV  ???
A7M1 (NK9H) IV Automatic flaps
J6K1 IV Automatic flaps
AD-2/AD-4/A-1H IV Automatic flaps

See also

Retrieved from "https://wiki.warthunder.com/index.php?title=Automatic_flaps&oldid=186647"