Chuck,

I'll hafta respectfully disagree. When I showed up with my new Morris the Knife at the field yesterday, an experienced flyer told me about his attempt to fly one with no flap mix. He had used up the entire 300' runway and couldn't get the thing off the ground. The Knife manual recommends 50% flap mix with elevator. I was afraid that would be too much to handle, so I set mine at 30%. On my maiden, with full up (low rates) it barely lifted off the ground. On the second flight I set it per the manual - 50%. After about a 4-5 foot roll I pulled back on the stick and it leaped off the ground and rocketed straight up. Wow!

The way the Knife rides on the landing gear, it will not lift off without some flaps. The combined flaps / elevator work to rotate the plane. The combo is just as effective in the air as it is on the ground. Short moments don't negate the effect.