eli5 why are flaps extended during takeoff if they slow down the plane?

Question

eli5 why are flaps extended during takeoff if they slow down the plane?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Flaps convert forward motion into lift when deployed.

However that means they sacrifice some forward speed.

But when you’re taking off, you’re generally going very fast already, and what you really want is lift.

Equally, when you land, you’re going fast and what you want is to slow down and touch down gently (i.e. slowly move down), so flaps assist in turning forward motion into giving some “free” lift.