I am wondering, Mike, if you can explain -F-16 wing configuration dwg-how the air flow operates in the 'reflex' configurations? I must admit I never heard of it. and it completely destroys my limited knowledge of lift. Is this same group of configs.used on all or some jets? I would personally never attempt anything like that on a model, are any of the RC aircraft using such a setup.
wsmalley,
The bottom line is that flaps, both trailing edge and leading edge, allow the camber of the wing to varied in flight to improve performance under various conditions. The most familiar case of this is using trailing edge flaps to dramatically increase camber for landing. The large camber allows high CL, which allows slower, steeper landings. At very high speeds, the wing is operating at very low CL, so that very little camber is needed. I am assuming that the reflexed position shown in the diagram corresponds to the amount of camber which is most efficient for high speed cruise.
banktoturn