Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
CosmicCruiser wrote:It's been a while since I flew a DC-10 but I don't remember it being a big deal. It was only for T/O flaps and the after T/O chk list had you zero out the dial. If you forgot you would be surprised when you selected LDG flaps.
113312 wrote:On the DC-10, the flap and slat handles are mechanically linked. For takeoff, a dial-a-flap setting is calculated and preselected. Preparing for takeoff, the handles are moved to lock into the Dial-A-Flap detent and this extends both the slats and trailing edge flaps. During climbout, the flaps are retracted in one step to zero with the slats remaining extended. At the appropriate airspeed, the handles are released through a gate to retract the slats.
For the approach to land, the handles are first moved to the Slats Extended/Flaps Zero detent. Subsequently, as the airspeed slows, flaps 15, 22, 35 and 50 are selected.
Should the slats jam or fail to extend inflight, the handles can be separated so that the slat selection remains retracted and the trailing edge flaps may be extended per the abnormal procedure. Approach speed and pitch attitude are affected.
CosmicCruiser wrote:CosmicCruiser wrote:It's been a while since I flew a DC-10 but I don't remember it being a big deal. It was only for T/O flaps and the after T/O chk list had you zero out the dial. If you forgot you would be surprised when you selected LDG flaps.
I guess I should have clarified I was talking about the dial a flap but yes the flap/ slat handle(s) did take a little getting used to. The practice was to put your fingers under the slat handle and lift up which would raise the flap handle too. Then there was the flap/ no slat landings that required separating the two handles.
LH707330 wrote:Did McDac actually call the system "dial-a-flap" as well, or is that pilot slang?
Max Q wrote:
The slat design on the -80 was completely different than my previous aircraft, the 727 with its numerous segmented sections, you never pushed the limits on its maximum extension speeds (bad airmanship anyway) if you did you’d get a lot of vibration
But the MD80 slat was just one giant, continuous section on each wing and soon after transitioning to it I noticed guys extending the slats right at their limit speed and there was basically no vibration at all
Max Q wrote:LH707330 wrote:Did McDac actually call the system "dial-a-flap" as well, or is that pilot slang?
No, it was referred to in our flight manual as ‘Dial a flap’ that was the official term
You ‘dialed’ in a pre-planned flap setting for take off. We rarely used it, the only airport I remember using it from was Mexico City with its high elevation we would use a dial a flap setting of just 4 degrees ( with slats of course)
extender wrote:The DC-10 Slats are pretty much the same thing, with the exception of the gap for the pylon.
The dial a flap was an actual serrated wheel aft of the flap/slat lever.
113312 wrote:On the DC-10, the flap and slat handles are mechanically linked.
[...]
Should the slats jam or fail to extend inflight, the handles can be separated so that the slat selection remains retracted and the trailing edge flaps may be extended per the abnormal procedure.
VMCA787 wrote:The DC-10 pic you have is of a DC10-40 which would have been a NW aircraft. That is a very different set up than all the other operators.
113312 wrote:With regard to the Dial-A-Flap, the selection wheel controls an internal notch that the handle will drop into when the handles are moved.
113312 wrote:While you could use a flap setting of 15 degrees for takeoff, takeoff performance might call for 3 degrees, or 13 degrees or 18 degrees which can only be positively selected using the Dial-A-Flap selector.
VMCA787 wrote:The DC-10 pic you have is of a DC10-40 which would have been a NW aircraft. That is a very different set up than all the other operators.
Horstroad wrote:VMCA787 wrote:The DC-10 pic you have is of a DC10-40 which would have been a NW aircraft. That is a very different set up than all the other operators.
That's the only clear photograph of a DC-10 flap handle I could find online. Does anyone have one of the regular config?
113312 wrote:While you could use a flap setting of 15 degrees for takeoff, takeoff performance might call for 3 degrees, or 13 degrees or 18 degrees which can only be positively selected using the Dial-A-Flap selector.
JustAnFO wrote:But as I noted above, that photo seems to be of a KC-10, not a NWA DC-10-40.