There is a second pointer on the post 1976 Cessna selectors which follows
the lever you move. It is actuated by a push pull cable attached to the
flap cables. It's hard to envision any way it could move with out the flaps
moving. The cables would need to have broken in which case all the flapping
and banging would probably alert you the fact that you had a much bigger
problem.

--

Roger Long



"Bill Denton" wrote in message
...
I think the question might have been:

Does the flap position indicator move even if you have a flap motor (or
whatever) failure resulting in no movement by the flaps?




"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
Yes, the little metal bar moves. I'm going to put painting it red on my
list. Still, looking at a big thing out side the plane as opposed to a
little thing down on the panel seems safer to me.

If you can train yourself to hear the noise, that's probably as good as
taking a look. It's easy to miss the absence of noise though as my
friend
found out.

--

Roger Long



"Ray" wrote in message
...
What about the little metal bar that moves up and down on the left
side
of
the flaps switch? When the flaps fail to retract, does the metal bar
still
go all the way back up? Also, normally you can hear the motor running
every
time the flaps are moving up or down. When the flaps get stuck, is
there
any audible indication?

Thanks,
- Ray

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
One of the more experienced pilots in our club scared himself
climbing
out
of a touch and go during which he didn't notice that the flaps had
frozen
at
20 degrees on our 172.

I've been investigating the flap system on Cessna's and am impressed
how
easily a bit of fluff or corrosion in just one switch can let the
flaps
go
down but then fail to retract.

This leaves me convinced that CFI's and all of us should be drilling
in
the
glance over the shoulder to verify retraction on all touch and goes
and
go
arounds. Practicing climb outs from minimum airspeed with all flap
settings
is a very neglected part of airwork and probably as important to
safety
as
doing stalls.

--

Roger Long