You've seen planes lower weird metal wings mid-flight. Here's why. A perfectly smooth wing is fastest. Pilots want to go fast. Problem: a smooth wing loses lift when the plane slows down too much. Planes must slow way down to land safely on a short runway. Flaps are hinged panels that tilt down and change wing shape instantly. When flaps angle down, they curve the wing and create more lift at slow speed. At takeoff, engines push hard but the plane needs to accelerate down a runway. Pilots deploy flaps just a little bit during takeoff for extra lift. Landing demands the slowest possible speed to stop in time on the tarmac. Pilots drop flaps completely down to create maximum drag and lift loss together. Extra drag helps the plane slow down faster, which is perfect for landing. Cruise uses zero flaps, takeoff uses some, landing uses everything deployed. One simple hinge lets a smooth fast wing become a safe slow wing instantly. Now you know why every plane you fly on talks about extending flaps.
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