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... I think we're all agreed that the LE
should not be below and that flush with is OK. But are there any
benefits to having the control surface leading edges HIGHER, say upwards
of .125" above the trailing edges. Is better laminar flow all the way
back to the trailing edges of the control surfaces achieved by doing
this or is this unnecessary....
<<<

You will never get laminar flow all the way back to the TE. Laminar flow airfoils are designed with a plateau in the pressure distribution to maintain laminar flow further in the streamwise direction than a non-laminar flow airfoil. The pressure must eventually return to the freestream (or almost to freestream) starting somewhere near the back 1/3 of the airfoil. This is where the pressure distribution plateau ends and also where laminar flow ends. You have to look at the NLF-0215-F airfoil data to see where it actually ends, but you can be sure that the laminar flow will not survive to the start of the flap or aileron.

Mike Reinath
360 MkII
N3602M

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