Thomas Borchert writes:

No. But who cares - you're not flying, you're simming.

The whole idea of simulation is to approach real life, whence the
name.

For landing, you don't want to accidentally touch the wrong switch
while in a hurry on the runway (e.g. the gear switch - happens often).
Your primary concern is to get off the runway. After that, stop and
complete the after landing checklist, which includes flaps.

Do aircraft commonly have mechanisms to prevent gear retraction when
the wheels are touching ground, or is it usually up to the pilot not
to do anything unwise?

Your stall speed is reduced by the flaps by maybe 10 or 20 knots. If
the wind is blowing enough for your stall speed to be a factor - don't
fly.

I was under the impression that full flaps is a normal configuration
for landing; is this not true?

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