flaps...
Have to disagree here. Flaps are there to be used, sure, but they should be used in an appropriate way. Doing every landing with full flaps is not appropriate, in the case of the 40deg models downright dangerous. While I know you can climb away with 40 flaps (tried it myself years ago with an instructor), this is most certainly not something you want to do on a regular basis. There is no need for it, other than going into a very short strip. Also consider that the performance a brand-new a/c with a company test pilot at the controls could achieve 30, 40 years ago is probably a lot better than what you can achieve in it today.
IMO you should always consider the circumstances – if you are landing on a 7000 ft rwy with jet traffic behind, you most definitely don’t want to hover around at full flaps and 40kts. Going into a short dirt strip, OTOH you would of course fly full flap. Also be aware that on some models rudder authority decreases significantly if operating with full flap.
In any case, you should always read the POH for YOUR airplane, as the approved (and tested) procedures may well differ from pilot lore and internet wisdom. An example – for the type I mostly fly, Cessna 172RG, the POH procedure for short field t/o is zero flaps, not 10deg, as many people seem to believe.
If you really want to know what your a/c can and cannot do in various configurations then read the POH, go out and find a nice long rwy and practice the various techniques, alone or with an instructor.