I've written ... uh ... two blogs so far regarding my awesome 55" BlitzRCWorks Cessna Skylane, which is somewhat similar to the Airfield/FMS version of the plane just to pick a brand amongst quite a few. So I've been following and commenting on this thread called the "Airfield Sky Trainer 55" Cessna" on the Beginner Training Area.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1383806

It looks like a lot of people are doing a whole bunch of cool modifications of the versatile airplane, all the way from new wheels to lights to onboard camera stuff. One of the modifications that really caught my eye was that those who have the 4-ch (not 5-ch with flaps) version of the plane have gone ahead to install flaps for themselves.

Did I mention that the plane is a bit difficult to bring in for a good greaser? I'm not an expert in aerodynamics, but it seems like the plane handles like a giant pancake that sort of flops around in the air when flying at the lower end of the flight envelope and at this point the flight controls are pretty muddy (I know the plane is a tad bit tail-heavy, and I'll fix that, but still...). So it's sort of hard for me to judge when exactly to flare so that the plane doesn't slam into the relatively bumpy earth below (yes, you guys in America with large flat club airfields have it nice, except for the regulations. )

So several days ago, I did yet another series of hard landings on the unforgiving terrain in our so-called "airfield" and brought it home for landing gear checkup and maintenance if needed. At this point I thought I'll might as well go ahead with a C-check with the plane and also add flaps in the process.

Welcome to Papua, the land where maximum lift is your friend on landings. We use planes like the Pilatus Porter and the Helio Courier to squeeze people and cargo into the smallest airstrips you guys in America would consider good enough for half a football field. So back on topic - I decided to do something different - I'll use anything else than the typical plain flaps! So I went on to use the slotted flap option; I made the hinges for them out of the remains of a tin can, and voila:

Pretty sweet mod. I would recommend you reconsider your servo horn installation. Looks like frosting from CA. I would cut away some of the red decal and glue directly to the flap. Much less likelihood of failure. Having a flapping flap may give you even more problems for a safe landing than before the mod.

I would cut away some of the red decal and glue directly to the flap

And this I did. I don't think you can really see it in the picture but there's a nice triangular piece of the decal cut out so that the plastic meets the foam.