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Aviation glossary

Slat

Also: slats, leading-edge slat, leading-edge device

The aircraft

Movable leading-edge surface that moves forward to open a slot, letting the wing reach a higher angle of attack before it stalls.

What it is

Slats are the leading-edge partners of flaps. Extending forwards and downwards, they open a gap through which energetic air from beneath the wing flows over the upper surface, delaying flow separation. The wing can then operate at a higher angle of attack, and the aircraft can fly more slowly without stalling.

On many jet airliners, slats and flaps are deployed together in a programmed sequence from a single lever on the flight deck. Some aircraft use Krueger flaps instead, panels that hinge out from the underside of the leading edge; the Boeing 737, for instance, combines slats on the outer wing with Krueger flaps inboard. Regional turboprops, which fly more slowly, usually do without leading-edge devices altogether.

On Vuelopedia

Boeing 737

Related terms

FlapMovable surface on the trailing edge of the wing that extends to increase lift at low speed during take-off and landing. WingSurface that generates the lift needed for flight; on airliners it usually also holds much of the fuel and carries the engines. Swept wingWing whose edges angle backwards from the fuselage to delay compressibility effects, allowing an aircraft to cruise closer to the speed of sound. Take-offThe phase in which an aircraft accelerates along the runway to rotation speed, raises its nose and climbs away to a safe height above any obstacles. LandingThe final phase of flight in which the aircraft crosses the runway threshold, touches down on its main gear and slows to taxi speed.
Whole glossary

Cite

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Slat. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/slat

MLA

“Slat.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/slat. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Slat.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/slat.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Slat. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/slat (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_slat,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Slat}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/slat},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/slat}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/slat |title=Slat |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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