Retracting Flaps On Touchdown
I've been currently watching some of the documentaries on the Discovery channels about Flying in Alaska.
One of the new pilots was been given a check ride and the guy in the right hand seat, not sure if he was an instructor, insisted that the pilot immediately retract the flaps on touchdown. There was no reason given for doing this.
As a UK instructor, having taught at some of the biggest schools, I've never heard of this; never taught or been taught to do this. For a start, full flap will provide aerodynamic braking and reduce the landing distance, messing with flap is fraught with danger as it could be mistaken for something else like the gear, fully retracting the flaps on touchdown provides no flap for the go around scenerio and it's also not in the POH.
Although the pilots are landing off airports e.g. On any 600m space of land, rubble, streams, dirt track, dusty road, apart from not wanting to damage flap by loose debris, I can't see any benefit from retracting the flaps immediately on touchdown.
Has anyone experience of this or know of a logical explanation ???