well some glider pilots have trouble figuring that out when all they've flown is spoilered gliders where you hold a more or less level pitch attitude in the pattern.
the steep nose down angle, incredible visibility, and outstanding sink rate with a full flap glider approach can be a bit disconcerting for a first timer. with a little practice though it is flat out FUN.
My first owned aircraft was the Finnish PIK20b - a flaps-only aircraft. For cruising, the flaps are interconnected with the ailerons from full reflex thru the first two notches of positive flaps. High speed cruise is reflex, thermal climb with 2 notches. All quite nice.
On landing there were several things to be considered. The flaps were operated by a crank, which I guess removes the strength issue. The full 90 degree flap deployment required 3 or 4 revolutions. More on that later.
In a normal landing pattern, the best procedure was to treat flaps as a one way control. Once you put them on, plan on not taking them off since you will lose lift along with drag and there's no engine to provide some remedial power. So the landing pattern was best flown with the careful and progressive application of the flaps. You had to slow it down below best glide on final with flaps hanging out because pitching up to slow down as you do in the flare will having you floating forever. But you never wanted to get too low and slow with the flaps hanging out because there was little recourse except to land short unlike with spoilers where slamming them shut immediately gives you full glider performance (35:1 or or better).
The best landing technique, especially in off field situations where spot landings are required, was to carry a little extra energy down to the flare so you didn't come short. However, it was practically impossible to get it out of the resulting float in a predictable way. Ground effect with the flaps down was pretty amazing... you would be nose low and could float for half a mile while the speed slowly bled off before getting on the ground. So once in the flare, the technique was to wind off the flaps. The lift immediately dumped and you had to pitch up as you wound off the flaps or else you would slam it on. Oh, the crank... imagine the old game of patting your head while rubbing your tummy. You can do it but it requires some practice and concentration. My first season of landings entertained the airport as I oscillated into an arrival. Winding flaps while smoothly pitching up took some practice. Once mastered, I could drop it on a dime.
This is the plane I learned cross country racing in. My first off field landing was missed landing approach where I got low and slow on a 20+ knot wind day. Suddenly while turning base I realized that I lacked the energy to get to the runway. I landed in a pasture short of the airport and the interstate that bordered it (!!)
With my virginity burst, I proceeded to fly the PIK into many off field landings. Because you could get so slow with the flaps and drop it on a dime with enough technique, I had a blast for a few years.
Then I got fooled on another 20+ knot ridge day when I tried to put it in a mall parking lot. I knew abreast of the touchdown spot with half flaps down, that there was no way to get there from here. The PIK died that day.
I should add that the mixology on the PIK was pretty sophisticated. Once past the climb settings, the ailerons would go up as the flaps would go down.
Spoilers and flaps is the ideal setup on full size gliders. Spoilers only on standard class.
I was flying RC gliders many decades ago before servos and radios became light enough to justify adding flaps or spoilers to a mid-size glider. I remember the designer/flyer of one particular contest winning design (Mark Smith's Windfree) simply flipped it upside down to get a higher rate of descent, then rolled it level for the touch down - rudder only as I recall. Way beyond my skill set at the time.
