
New test plane flies without flaps - johns
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/10/new-test-plane-flies-without-flaps.ars
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run4yourlives
That is a poor choice of words for an article on arstechnica.

Flaps have nothing to do with directing the attitude of the aircraft, and so
are not "a requirement" for one. Many aircraft, including the Wright Flyer,
don't have flaps.

What they actually mean is control surfaces. And with that, I see little
advantage to using jets of air over, for example, a flexible wing or an
aircraft controlled exclusively by vectored thrust.

This article seems to be excessive hype about a minor experiment in
aeronautics.

