Well Paul T, I've read all of Derricks written works, no doubt good info there, but when it comes to his opinion of flapped sailplanes, I'll go with others with just as much if not more experience than his. Guys like Moffatt. You would get a very different opinion of the ease and safety of landing flapped ships if you read his flight evaluation of the HP-14.

All that is needed is a proper understanding/briefing of how flapped ships are handled in landing (much different than spoilered birds). If a newer pilot is desirous of getting into cross country flying, a flapped ship is a very very good choice and a confidence builder, knowing that even in the hands of a less experienced pilot , they can be safely shoe horned into very small fields.