What's a Cowl flap?

Question

What's a Cowl flap?

Answer 1

aviophag is correct....

Usually Cowl flaps are doors that are located on the bottom of the cowling, located either inside or outside. They are in this location because that is usually the end of the path for the cooling air flow. These doors are opened and closed by the pilot from the cockpit.

Usually they are manual and are operated by a lever or a k**b. In some cases they are electric and are opened and closed by a switch

Cowl Flap Position Control - Cowl Flaps are opened during high power/low airspeed operations like takeoff to maximize the volume of cooling airflow over the engine's cooling fins.

Answer 2

All of the above answers are correct, but they left out something.  Cowl flaps are opened when you fly at slower speeds to increase the engine cooling.  They are closed at higher speeds because the engines are cooled by the faster air and lower temperatures at higher altitudes, and because cooling caused drag.  If you reduce the drag, you can fly faster.  Hope that helps you.

Answer 3

Cowl flaps are movable vanes associated with the engine cowling on a piston engine airplane.  There is a control handle that allows the pilot to open or close the cowl flaps to control the amount of air flowing through the engine compartment, and thus the cooling of the engine.

Cowl flaps are typically opened for takeoff and landing, and closed during cruising flight.  Look at pictures of radial engined bombers and airliners.  The metal tabs that look like flower petals around the engine cowls behind the propellers are the cowl flaps.

Answer 4

Just one thing.  Cowl flaps are actually closed during the descent and landing phase of flight.  During those phases of flight the engine is normally at a much lower power setting and therefore needs less cooling.  Too much cooling can have a bad effect on the engine.