I'm no expert, but I always thought people had a problem with the flaps on the LW planes because they won't come out at speeds they did in real life?
I could be wrong, I pretty much stopped paying attention to the "This is broke" threads a couple years ago.
I think what Crumpp is trying to say is that if one looks at the P38 manual which says "250 mph should not be exceeded because it may cause structural damage" and says "Well, it doesn't say it WILL cause structural damage, so we should be able to drop flaps at whatever speed" then that is what people will do. If the manufacturors specs said 250 mph, then it outta be 250 mph.
Human nature, especially in games, is to "bend" (if not outright break) the rules.
Personally, I don't much care, but if HTC decided to model the 250 mph limit as a "suggestion" rather than a limit then I can guarantee you that 99.99% of P-38 pilots would find out where the new "limit" was (where the flaps will actually break), and completely ignore the 250 mph "suggestion". That is a guarantee. I'm 100% confident that is exactly what would happen.
I do kind of like the percentage method for determining damage, but I think it is probably to much work to ever be implemented.