FLAP FAILURE.

Narrative

AFTER STARTING OUR DSCNT OUT OF FL230 WE HAD A FLAP CTL FAULT ON OUR FLAP COMPUTER. PLTS OPERATING HANDBOOK STATES RESET 1 TIME; IF IT DOES NOT CLR THEN LAND AS SOON AS PRACTICAL. CAPT CALLED FLT CTL; THEY WANTED US TO RETURN TO DALLAS FORT WORTH APPROX 1 HR 10 MINS AWAY. I AGREE WITH BURNING DOWN FUEL SO I DIDN'T MIND THE FLT TO DALLAS FOR A FLAPS 0 DEG LNDG. BUT I FELT WE SHOULD DECLARE AN EMER BECAUSE VREF IS NEAR OUR MAX TIRE SPD; ALSO WE DIDN'T HAVE FACTORED LNDG DATA FOR A FLAPS 0 DEG LNDG. HOWEVER; WE DID HAVE UNFACTORED DATA SO WE KNEW WE COULD STOP; BUT REGS REQUIRE US TO HAVE FACTORED DATA WHEN CARRYING PAX; WHICH WE HAD. CAPT RELUCTANT TO DECLARE AN EMER BECAUSE OF PAPER WORK -- I GUESS. ALTHOUGH I FELT SAFE ABOUT THE ENTIRE OP; I AGREE WITH DECLARING ANYTIME AS SAFETY PRECAUTION. IT SEEMS MANY PLTS EITHER HAVE THIS MACHO THING ABOUT DECLARING AN EMER OR ARE AFRAID OF THE PAPER WORK; WHICH I'VE NEVER KNOWN ANYONE WHO HAD TO FILL OUT ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. I HAVE BEEN TRAINED A MILLION TIMES IF ANY DOUBT DECLARE TO PROTECT YOUR PAX AND YOURSELF. ALSO; I WOULD LIKE MORE TRAINING TO UNDERSTAND THE FAA DEFINITION OF PRACTICAL VERSUS POSSIBLE; ETC.