Definition
VFE is the highest airspeed at which the airplane may be flown with the wing flaps extended to any approved setting. Exceeding VFE while the flaps are deployed can overstress the flap structure, the flap tracks, or the attaching hardware, and may cause structural failure or asymmetric flap problems.
Plain English
VFE is the fastest you are allowed to fly with the flaps down. Go any faster with the flaps out and you risk damaging them or the parts of the wing that hold them on.
Context Anchor
You will see VFE in the airplane’s operating information, on airspeed markings, and during procedures such as approaches, landings, and emergency descents where flap use may be considered.
Derivation
The 'V' in V-speeds comes from the French vitesse, meaning 'speed.' The subscript 'FE' stands for 'flap extended.' So VFE literally reads as 'speed, flap extended' — the speed limit that applies whenever the flaps are out.
Why Pilots Care
Exceeding this speed while flaps are extended can bend or detach the flaps and compromise control of the airplane.
Intuition Check
VFE is not a target speed or a recommended descent speed. It is a do-not-exceed limit for having the flaps extended.
Example Sentence 1
Before extending the first notch of flaps on downwind, the pilot verified the airspeed was below VFE.
Example Sentence 2
The aircraft's operating handbook lists VFE as 105 knots for this model.