THIS RPTR HAS EXPERIENCED A RECURRING PROB WITH THE FLAP EXTENSION AND RETRACTION AND DISCUSSES THE REASON WHY THE PROB OCCURRED.

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PREFLT INSPECTION REVEALED A R INBOARD FLAP PANEL CROOKED AND BINDING IN ITS FLAP TRACK. MAINT INSPECTED FLAP AND WAS HESITANT TO MAKE ANY CORRECTION UNTIL FLAP WAS LOWERED AND RETRACTED SEVERAL TIMES. I HAD TO POINT OUT THAT THE FLAP WAS BINDING ABOUT THE LAST 5 DEGS OF MOVEMENT ON RETRACTION. THIS IS A RECURRING PROB ON THE E12. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: AFTER FLAP RETRACTION; AN INBOARD FLAP HAS TRAILED AS MUCH AS 1 INCH. THIS BECOMES A SERIOUS PROB WHEN THIS MISALIGNMENT WEARS OUT THE FLAP ROLLERS AND TRACKS. THE MISALIGNMENT REFED IS A RESULT OF NOT MATCHING THE ORIGINAL FLAP WITH THE ORIGINAL AIRPLANE DURING MAINT. THE FLAPS ON THE EARLY PROTOTYPE WERE BASICALLY HANDMADE; AND SINCE; HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FROM NEW JIGS. THE FIT CAN BE SO POOR WHEN THE FLAPS ARE NOT MATCHED WITH THE ORIGINAL ACFT THAT THE MATCHING FLAP HAS TO BE HUNTED DOWN AND AN ADDITIONAL AIRPLANE GROUNDED; WHILE THE FLAPS ARE EXCHANGED. THIS RPTR RECOMMENDS THAT OPERATORS OF THE EARLY AND LATER MODEL E120'S NUMBER AND LABEL EACH FLAP SO THAT THEY ARE KEPT WITH THE AIRPLANE WHILE THE AIRPLANE IS IN MAINT. RPTR CONTENDS THAT ANY FLAP ASYMMETRY BEYOND 7 DEGS WILL CAUSE THE COMPUTER TO SHUT DOWN THE FLAP EXTENSION; BUT WHY LET THIS PROB GET TO THAT POINT?