Slats question

[Knarley-Bob]

Been flying the dreaded La 5 as of late. I have noticed that the slats don't always deploy in pairs. It seems the Starboard slat doesn't actuate as much as the Port. Does that have something to do with the trimming of the plane? Or is that just how they work. Noticed it on a wing man too, on a ground support mission.

[Raptorattacker]

Surely it really depends on which way you're turning and how HARD?

[Knarley-Bob]

It seems more one way than the other, but I', thinking the trim has something to do with it too. If I mess with it too long, I'll probably lawn dart the thing. That would be bad.?

[Irishratticus72]

In Soviet Russia, slats deploy you.

[AndyJWest]

Fairly common in real aircraft of the period. The Bf 109 should do the same thing. The slats were free-floating, and aerodynamic forces - specifically, the movement of the stagnation point back under the leading edge as the AoA increases - are the only thing that causes the slats to deploy. Any asymmetry of airflow may cause one slat to deploy before the other.

[Knarley-Bob]

Thank you sir,

We learned something today  ?

[Ram399]

5 hours ago, AndyJWest said:

Any asymmetry of airflow may cause one slat to deploy before the other.

And sure enough, those pesky left turning tendencies do cause the left-side slats to deploy more often.