jaka, I must disagree with you and I do have 3 more years expierence than you. Dropping the flaps increases the wing's camber thereby increasing lift and drag and decreasing speed without increasing the likehood of a tip stall. I have the same Cherokee and I like to use flaps if there is little or no head wind. It makes the plane even easier to land more smoothly than it normally is. I find with the Cherokee I need about 8% down elevator mixed in with with the flaps for a perfect landing configuration. I have three other planes (Pawnee, Trojan T-28, and an RV-4) that also have flaps and provide similar results. I also see no reason a beginner should not use flaps if it makes him feel more confortable with a given plane.

Bruce