Agreed, AB - I think the only difference you and I have with RB is the use of a rolled-up Daily Mail? I normally gently 'stay' the grabbing hand and say - why? Generally a light then comes on in the head and another way is thought of. There must be some Captains who always grab for the s/b in order to instill such 'automatic' reactions? Could it be as simple as Boeing's message 'Drag required'?
Incidentally, BA (used to, up to 2004 anyway) impose NO limits on s/b with flap on the 737, right up to Flap40
, merely not below 1000'. I have personally experienced it used at Flap30 by a BA 737 captain (only briefly, I should add
). The biggest structural danger IMO is the tailplane buffet.