[bobmrg]

Golly...once upon a time airplanes didn't have flaps, so landing without them is certainly not dangerous. Flaps allow you to touch down as slowly as safety permits, so there is less kinetic energy to be dissipated by the brakes. Normal landings use full flaps...but what is a normal landing? Crosswinds and gusty winds make us use other-than-normal procedures, which means reducing flap deflection as the situation demands, keeping in mind the goal of landing as slowly as possible. When you have more experience under your belt (and a pilot certificate in your pocket) you will take on gusty crosswinds with some flap extension, and get rid of the flaps immediately upon touchdown...but this is not something for a student or low-time pilot to experiment with.

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Bob Gardner