I don't understand what the problem is really. If the flight manual says you can lower X flaps at Y speed, then you can do that.
If it isn't in the flight manual, then don't do it!
I had always understood it was no flap down above the white arc however different people have told me otherwise that it is ok to put 10 deg out above white arc to help slow ac down and others have said vfe is for full flap.
Lowering flaps outside the Flight Manual prescribed Vfe for that flap setting is a no no. If someone needs to bust flap limits to slow down, that probably says more about their speed control than anything else.
It's like saying "I just want to get there a bit faster, so I'll fly a little above Vne." It isn't done.
The only time you can lower flaps outside the white arc is when the particular aircraft has down a different Vfe for 10deg flaps. For example, a Duchess can lower (from memory) up to 20deg of flaps, at a speed higher than on the white arc, but that flap setting still has a limiting speed placed on it, it just happens to be slightly higher than the white arc, which is the limiting speed for >20deg flaps.
If the flight manual only gives ONE flap extension speed, then above this speed
no flap is to be extended. If the flight manual gives different speeds for first stage and other flap, then extend no flaps above highest speed, only extend first stage below first stage speed, second stage below its prescribed speed etc.
brns2 et al: If you think about it another way, as soon as the flaps leave the full up position, they are extended in someway, even if they are also in transit.