Which flap setting has the lowest listed speed?

Which flap setting has the lowest listed speed?

• A. Flaps 1
• B. Flaps 8
• C. Flaps 20
• D. Flaps 45

Answer: (D)

Flaps speed control is about VFE—the maximum airspeed at which you may fly with a given flap setting. As you extend more flaps, you generate more lift but also more drag, and the structure can’t handle as much airspeed with flaps out. That means VFE gets smaller as flap extension increases. Among the options, the most extended flap setting (the full landing configuration) has the lowest VFE, so it has the lowest listed speed. The other settings involve less flap and thus higher VFE numbers, allowing higher speeds with those configurations.

Flaps speed control is about VFE—the maximum airspeed at which you may fly with a given flap setting. As you extend more flaps, you generate more lift but also more drag, and the structure can’t handle as much airspeed with flaps out. That means VFE gets smaller as flap extension increases. Among the options, the most extended flap setting (the full landing configuration) has the lowest VFE, so it has the lowest listed speed. The other settings involve less flap and thus higher VFE numbers, allowing higher speeds with those configurations.