Flap track mounting a little off?

[Pedals2Paddles]

Oddity we saw on a 172 today. The left flap tracks appear to be too high. With the flaps up, the flap is a little higher than it should be. And you can see the track is too high where it is mounted. This would probably cause a bit of left wing down. Everything is secure and solid. Nothing is bent. It just looks like some idiot installed it too high.

The right aileron happens to have a trim tab applying wing down trim. I would imagine it is there to compensate for the flap being a little off.

Is this an airworthiness condition that an IA would/could/should fail? It has been like this for what is probably 20 years now. So apparently it works fine.

 

[JasonM]

I have flown an older 172 like that. What year is this one?

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

It's a K model. I think 69.


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[Jeff Oslick]

I'm betting there is a major underlying issue there, quite possibly from deploying the flaps (well) above the white arc, probably more than once.

I'm not into flying planes that don't fly straight the way they came from the factory.

 

[RotorAndWing]

I'm betting there is a major underlying issue there, quite possibly from deploying the flaps (well) above the white arc, probably more than once.

.

If the flaps are routinely over sped, the bearings in the flap tracks would wear out faster.

I doubt seriously that the flap tracks have bent up from flap over speed.

 

[Silvaire]

You sure they're not just out of rig? Right flap is connected to jackscrew bellcrank and left flap bellcrank is is connected by cable to the right. Both are adjustable by way of the connecting rods and two turnbuckles in the overhead carry through. Fixed aileron trim tab is pretty common on older 172's. There were no CNC machines back in those days.

 

[Pedals2Paddles]

The flap track *appeared* to be physically higher than it should. As opposed to the flap raising too high due to rigging.


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[Jeff Oslick]

If the flaps are routinely over sped, the bearings in the flap tracks would wear out faster.

I doubt seriously that the flap tracks have bent up from flap over speed.

If they are over-sped the track brackets can crack.