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Aviation vocabulary · Aircraft & Systems

Flaps

Meaning in aviation, with examples

/flæps/nounCore term

In aviation, flaps means: Movable panels on the rear edge of the wings that extend to give more lift at low speed. They are used mainly for takeoff and landing.

In Turkish: flaplar, flap

How it is used

Pilots select, extend and retract flaps in stages: 'flaps 1', 'flaps 5', 'flaps full'. Each setting has a maximum speed. Similar panels on the front edge of the wing are called slats.

Example sentences

  1. Speed checked, flaps two, please.

  2. We had a flap problem on approach and had to land at a higher speed.

Common collocations

  • flaps up
  • flaps full
  • extend the flaps
  • retract the flaps
  • flap setting
  • wingEach of the two long surfaces on the sides of an aircraft that produce lift. On airliners the wings often carry the engines and hold most of the fuel.
  • landingThe final phase of a flight, in which the aircraft comes down onto the runway, touches the ground and slows to taxi speed.
  • takeoffThe moment or phase in which an aircraft speeds up along the runway and leaves the ground to begin a flight.
  • airspeedThe speed of an aircraft relative to the air around it, which is what keeps it flying. Whenever there is wind, it is different from the ground speed.

More terms: Aircraft & Systems

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