{"id":22328142,"date":"2026-09-14T17:28:44","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T17:29:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:29:45","slug":"flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes the Shape of Its Own Wing"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n<p>A wing optimised for cruising at 500 knots is a bad wing for landing at 140. It is too small, too flat and too efficient. The aeroplane needs a different wing for the last three minutes of the flight, and rather than carry two, it grows one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That is what flaps and slats are: a mechanism for changing the shape and the size of a wing in flight. On a modern airliner the process adds chord, adds area, adds curvature and completely rearranges the airflow, and it happens in a few seconds on a set of tracks and carriages that are among the most highly loaded moving structures on the aircraft.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:17px;color:#1a1a1a\">Quick Facts<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>What they change:<\/strong> Camber, wing area and the behaviour of the airflow over the upper surface<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Trailing edge devices:<\/strong> Plain, split, slotted, Fowler and multi-slotted Fowler flaps<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Leading edge devices:<\/strong> Slats, which move out and down, and Krueger flaps, which hinge forward from the lower surface<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Typical lift gain:<\/strong> A plain flap adds around 0.9 to the maximum lift coefficient. A triple-slotted Fowler adds roughly 1.9 times the chord ratio<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Clean wing:<\/strong> Maximum lift coefficient typically around 1.4 to 1.6<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Full landing configuration:<\/strong> Around 3.2 to 3.5 for a wing with triple-slotted flaps and slats<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Stall speed effect:<\/strong> Stall speed varies with the inverse square root of maximum lift coefficient, so doubling it cuts stall speed by about 29 per cent<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;line-height:1.6\"><strong>Typical settings:<\/strong> Around 15 to 20 degrees of flap for takeoff, 40 to 60 for landing<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Three separate jobs<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>NASA\u2019s Beginner\u2019s Guide separates the effects cleanly, and it is worth quoting because the wording is precise about which part does what.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Moving the flaps aft (toward the tail) and the slats forward increases the wing area.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>NASA Glenn Research Center<\/strong> &mdash; Beginner\u2019s Guide to Aeronautics, \u201cFlaps and Slats\u201d<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>So: sliding the surfaces outward makes the wing bigger. Pivoting them downward makes it more curved, which raises the lift at any given angle of attack. And the large rearward-facing area of a deployed flap increases drag substantially.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That third effect is not a side-effect to be tolerated. It is why takeoff and landing flap settings differ. On takeoff you want extra lift without paying much drag, so the flaps go part way down. On landing you want extra lift <em>and<\/em> plenty of drag, so that the aircraft can fly a steep, slow, controlled approach with the engines spooled up rather than at idle. NASA frames the split exactly that way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/airliner-wing-high-lift-devices-diagram.png\" alt=\"Diagram of the lift control components of an airliner wing\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The high-lift architecture of an airliner wing: leading-edge devices forward, trailing-edge flaps aft, with spoilers and ailerons between. Diagram: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The family tree<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>A <strong>plain flap<\/strong> is the rear portion of the wing on a simple hinge. It adds camber and nothing else.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A <strong>split flap<\/strong> hinges only the lower surface downward, leaving the upper surface in place. It produces a lot of drag for its lift, which is why it largely disappeared.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A <strong>slotted flap<\/strong> leaves a carefully shaped gap between itself and the wing when it deploys. Air flows through that slot from the high-pressure side to the upper surface of the flap.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A <strong>Fowler flap<\/strong> is the clever one and the reason big aeroplanes land as slowly as they do. It first slides rearward, almost level, increasing chord and therefore wing area, and only then hinges down to add camber. It is, as EUROCONTROL\u2019s SKYbrary puts it, found on most large aircraft. Double and triple-slotted Fowler flaps stack the trick.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>At the front, <strong>slats<\/strong> move forward and droop, adding both area and camber. <strong>Krueger flaps<\/strong> do something different and are often confused with slats: they hinge forward and down from the <em>lower<\/em> surface, adding camber without adding much area. The Boeing 737 carries both, Kruegers inboard of the engines and slats outboard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/leading-edge-slats-extended-airliner-wing.jpg\" alt=\"Leading edge slats extended on an airliner wing\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Leading-edge slats fully extended. The gap between slat and wing is not a manufacturing tolerance, it is the entire point of the device. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The thing almost everyone gets wrong about slots<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Ask why a slot works and you will usually be told that it takes high-energy air from beneath the wing and blasts it over the upper surface to re-energise the boundary layer and delay separation. It is in a great many textbooks and training manuals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>A. M. O. Smith addressed this directly in the canonical paper on high-lift aerodynamics, the 37th Wright Brothers Lecture, published in the Journal of Aircraft in 1975. He quotes two NASA reports making exactly that claim and says there are two things wrong with the statements.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;The slat does not give the air in the slot high velocity. If anything, it gives the air low velocity.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>A. M. O. Smith<\/strong> &mdash; \u201cHigh-Lift Aerodynamics\u201d, 37th Wright Brothers Lecture, Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 12 No. 6, June 1975<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Nor is the slot air high-energy. As Smith points out, all the air outside the actual boundary layers has the same total head. There is no reservoir of energetic air underneath the wing waiting to be tapped.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>What actually happens is subtler and, once you see it, more satisfying. Smith identified five effects. The <strong>slat effect<\/strong>: circulation around the slat runs counter to the flow at the main wing\u2019s leading edge, reducing its suction peak so there is less pressure to recover. The <strong>circulation effect<\/strong>: the downstream element bends the flow at the upstream element\u2019s trailing edge, increasing its circulation and therefore its lift. The <strong>dumping effect<\/strong>: the forward element\u2019s boundary layer is discharged at above freestream velocity, so it never has to survive as severe a pressure rise. <strong>Off-the-surface pressure recovery<\/strong>: the wake decelerates away from any wall, which is far more effective than decelerating against one. And the <strong>fresh boundary layer effect<\/strong>: each element starts its own thin new boundary layer, and thin boundary layers tolerate much stronger adverse pressure gradients than thick ones.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>In other words, a multi-element wing is closer to a biplane than to a single wing with a hole in it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XrpfIPRbfqo\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The 737\u2019s leading and trailing edge systems, from the technical channel that documents the type.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What it buys, in numbers<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Published increments to maximum lift coefficient run roughly as follows: a plain flap adds about 0.9; a slotted flap about 1.3; a Fowler flap about 1.3 multiplied by the chord extension ratio; a double-slotted Fowler about 1.6 times that ratio; a triple-slotted Fowler about 1.9. At the leading edge, a plain slot adds around 0.2, a Krueger about 0.3, and a slat about 0.4 times the chord ratio.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Stack them and a wing whose clean maximum lift coefficient is somewhere between 1.4 and 1.6 reaches 3.2 to 3.5 in full landing configuration.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The payoff falls straight out of the lift equation. Stall speed varies with the inverse square root of the maximum lift coefficient, so doubling the coefficient reduces stall speed by about 29 per cent. Go from 1.5 clean to 3.3 fully deployed and the reduction is closer to 35 per cent. That is the difference between an airliner needing a three-kilometre runway and needing a very much longer one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-down.jpg\" alt=\"A wind tunnel model with flaps deployed at NASA Ames\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A wind tunnel model with flaps down during high-lift research at NASA Ames in 1965. Every increment of maximum lift coefficient has been bought in a tunnel like this one. NASA photograph, public domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">On a real aeroplane<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Boeing 737 is a good worked example. Its leading edge carries four Krueger flaps inboard of the engines and six slats outboard, eight on the NG. The trailing edge was triple-slotted on the Classic generation and double-slotted on the NG.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The systems are interlinked in ways that reward reading the manual. The leading-edge devices extend whenever the trailing-edge flaps are not up. Slats sit at an intermediate position for flaps 1 to 5 and only go fully out beyond flap 5. An autoslat system drives them fully out on its own for stall protection. A flap load limiter will retract the flaps from 40 to 30 if the placard speed is exceeded, which is a polite way of saying the system will overrule the pilot to avoid tearing the flaps off. Placard limits are 175 knots at flap 30 and 162 at flap 40, and flaps may not be extended above 20,000 feet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Chris Brady, who documents the type, makes a neat observation about the design intent: the Krueger flaps and slats bought the 737 its short-field <em>takeoff<\/em> performance, while the triple-slotted trailing edge bought its short-field <em>landing<\/em> performance. Two different problems, two different ends of the wing.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/67HUcVOAY_0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>An airline pilot\u2019s walkthrough of the same systems.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>None of this is free. High-lift systems are heavy, they are mechanically complex, they need inspection, and every one of those tracks and actuators is a thing that can fail. Aircraft designers have been trying to get rid of them for decades. They have not managed it, because no one has found another way to make one wing behave like two.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/57Nw1b3FohI\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: NASA Glenn Research Center, Beginner\u2019s Guide to Aeronautics, \u201cFlaps and Slats\u201d; A. M. O. Smith, \u201cHigh-Lift Aerodynamics\u201d, Journal of Aircraft Vol. 12 No. 6, 1975; SKYbrary (EUROCONTROL); Engineering LibreTexts, Fundamentals of Aerospace Engineering; the Boeing 737 Technical Site.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What do flaps actually do?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Three things. Sliding aft increases wing area, pivoting down increases camber and therefore lift at a given angle of attack, and the large rearward-facing area increases drag. The drag is useful on landing and unwelcome on takeoff, which is why the settings differ.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the difference between a slat and a Krueger flap?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A slat moves forward and droops from the leading edge, adding both wing area and camber. A Krueger flap hinges forward and down from the lower surface, adding camber without much area. The Boeing 737 uses Kruegers inboard of the engines and slats outboard.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is a Fowler flap?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A flap that first slides rearward almost level, increasing the wing\u2019s chord and area, and only then hinges down to add camber. It gives a much larger lift increase than a simple hinged flap and is found on most large aircraft, often in double or triple-slotted form.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Do slots work by blowing high-energy air over the wing?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. A. M. O. Smith addressed this directly in 1975, noting that the slat does not give the slot air high velocity and that all air outside the boundary layers has the same total head. The real mechanisms are circulation effects, dumping, off-the-surface pressure recovery and fresh boundary layers.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How much do flaps and slats reduce landing speed?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Substantially. A clean wing might reach a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.5, rising to around 3.3 fully deployed. Since stall speed varies with the inverse square root of that coefficient, the reduction is roughly 30 to 35 per cent.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why are takeoff and landing flap settings different?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Because drag is wanted in one case and not the other. Takeoff uses a moderate setting, typically 15 to 20 degrees, for extra lift at modest drag cost. Landing uses full extension, often 40 degrees or more, where the drag allows a steep, stable approach with the engines spooled up.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can I see high-lift devices working from a fighter cockpit?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">MiGFlug flies civilians in genuine military aircraft including the L-39 Albatros and the MiG-29 Fulcrum, both of which use leading and trailing edge devices on approach. Details and pricing are at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/\">migflug.com\/flights-prices<\/a>.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What do flaps actually do?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Three things. Sliding aft increases wing area, pivoting down increases camber and therefore lift at a given angle of attack, and the large rearward-facing area increases drag. The drag is useful on landing and unwelcome on takeoff, which is why the settings differ.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the difference between a slat and a Krueger flap?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A slat moves forward and droops from the leading edge, adding both wing area and camber. A Krueger flap hinges forward and down from the lower surface, adding camber without much area. The Boeing 737 uses Kruegers inboard of the engines and slats outboard.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is a Fowler flap?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A flap that first slides rearward almost level, increasing the wing\u2019s chord and area, and only then hinges down to add camber. It gives a much larger lift increase than a simple hinged flap and is found on most large aircraft, often in double or triple-slotted form.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Do slots work by blowing high-energy air over the wing?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. A. M. O. Smith addressed this directly in 1975, noting that the slat does not give the slot air high velocity and that all air outside the boundary layers has the same total head. The real mechanisms are circulation effects, dumping, off-the-surface pressure recovery and fresh boundary layers.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How much do flaps and slats reduce landing speed?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Substantially. A clean wing might reach a maximum lift coefficient of about 1.5, rising to around 3.3 fully deployed. Since stall speed varies with the inverse square root of that coefficient, the reduction is roughly 30 to 35 per cent.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why are takeoff and landing flap settings different?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Because drag is wanted in one case and not the other. Takeoff uses a moderate setting, typically 15 to 20 degrees, for extra lift at modest drag cost. Landing uses full extension, often 40 degrees or more, where the drag allows a steep, stable approach with the engines spooled up.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can I see high-lift devices working from a fighter cockpit?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"MiGFlug flies civilians in genuine military aircraft including the L-39 Albatros and the MiG-29 Fulcrum, both of which use leading and trailing edge devices on approach. Details and pricing are at migflug.com\/flights-prices.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/how-does-an-aircraft-fly-four-forces-lift-explained\/\">How Does an Aircraft Fly? Lift, Weight, Thrust and Drag<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/angle-of-attack-and-the-stall-explained\/\">Angle of Attack and the Stall: Why Wings Stop Working<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/how-much-runway-does-a-747-need-takeoff-landing-distances\/\">How Much Runway Does a 747 Need? 737, 777 and A380 Compared<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A wing built for 500 knots is a bad wing for landing at 140. Rather than carry two, an airliner grows one. And the usual explanation of how slots work is wrong.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":22324937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22328142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes Its Wing | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A wing built for 500 knots is a bad wing for landing. Flaps and slats grow a new one, and the usual explanation of how slots work is wrong.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes Its Wing | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A wing built for 500 knots is a bad wing for landing. Flaps and slats grow a new one, and the usual explanation of how slots work is wrong.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-14T15:28:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-14T15:29:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c\"},\"headline\":\"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes the Shape of Its Own Wing\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-14T15:28:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-14T15:29:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1885,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Aviation World\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/\",\"name\":\"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes Its Wing | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-14T15:28:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-14T15:29:45+00:00\",\"description\":\"A wing built for 500 knots is a bad wing for landing. Flaps and slats grow a new one, and the usual explanation of how slots work is wrong.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"A three-quarter front view of a wind tunnel model with flaps retracted at NASA Ames\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes the Shape of Its Own Wing\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c\",\"name\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald\"},\"description\":\"Max Gr\u00fcnwald writes MiGFlug\u2019s technical deep-dives \u2014 engines, avionics and weapons systems, with every number checked twice.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/de\\\/author\\\/maxgruenwald\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes Its Wing | MiGFlug","description":"A wing built for 500 knots is a bad wing for landing. Flaps and slats grow a new one, and the usual explanation of how slots work is wrong.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes Its Wing | MiGFlug","og_description":"A wing built for 500 knots is a bad wing for landing. Flaps and slats grow a new one, and the usual explanation of how slots work is wrong.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-09-14T15:28:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-14T15:29:45+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/"},"author":{"name":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c"},"headline":"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes the Shape of Its Own Wing","datePublished":"2026-09-14T15:28:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-14T15:29:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/"},"wordCount":1885,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg","articleSection":["Aviation World"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/","name":"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes Its Wing | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg","datePublished":"2026-09-14T15:28:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-14T15:29:45+00:00","description":"A wing built for 500 knots is a bad wing for landing. Flaps and slats grow a new one, and the usual explanation of how slots work is wrong.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/09\/nasa-ames-wind-tunnel-model-flaps-up.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"A three-quarter front view of a wind tunnel model with flaps retracted at NASA Ames"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/flaps-and-slats-high-lift-devices-explained\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flaps and Slats: How a Jet Changes the Shape of Its Own Wing"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner \u2013 MiGFlugs Magazin","description":"F\u00fcr alle, die sich f\u00fcr das Fliegen von Milit\u00e4rjets und verwandte Luftfahrtthemen interessieren.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/da89e4a5834c9a932ee20751ed75569c","name":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4a7af37924a5c24d0712babd0e5eafec09d37b3a41831dd4c4ee30f54ebfc1a7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald"},"description":"Max Gr\u00fcnwald verfasst die technischen Detailanalysen f\u00fcr MiGFlug \u2013 Triebwerke, Avionik und Waffensysteme, wobei jede Zahl doppelt \u00fcberpr\u00fcft wird.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/author\/maxgruenwald\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22328142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22328142"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22328142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22328173,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22328142\/revisions\/22328173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22324937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22328142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22328142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22328142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}