CRJ200 FLT CREW REPORT FLAP FAIL MSG DURING APPROACH; AND AFTER COMPLYING WITH QRH PROCEDURES A NO FLAP LANDING IS ACCOMPLISHED.

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ON A VISUAL APCH WE WERE TOLD TO MAINTAIN 180 KTS OR BETTER TO FAF. A FEW MI SHORT OF THE FAF; I CALLED FOR FLAPS 8 DEGS AND THE FO SELECTED 8 DEGS. IMMEDIATELY A 'FLAPS FAIL' CAUTION MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED AND WE ADVISED ATC; WHO HAD JUST SWITCHED US TO TWR. TWR ADVISED US TO MAINTAIN 3000 FT AND TRACK THE LOC. WE WERE THEN GIVEN VECTORS IN A BOX PATTERN WHERE MYSELF; MY FO AND A CHK CAPT JUMPSEATER WENT OVER THE QRH PROCS FOR THE FLAPS FAIL AT 0 DEGS. WE CONTACTED THE FLT ATTENDANT AND INFORMED HIM OF THE SITUATION. AFTER DISCUSSING IT WITH HIM; WE THEN MOVED ONTO FIGURING ACTUAL LNDG DISTANCE. JUMPSEATER WAS A FANTASTIC RESOURCE IN THAT RESPECT AND HELPED LESSEN THE WORKLOAD WHILE GETTING THE NUMBERS. AFTER A NUMBER WAS AGREED UPON; WE CONTACTED DISPATCH TO HAVE THEM CONCUR WITH OUR NUMBERS. THEY DID SO; SO WE DECLARED AN EMER AS A PRECAUTION; AND ADVISED THE PAX OF THE SITUATION AND TRIED TO CALM THEM BY TELLING THEM THAT WE ARE TRAINED FOR JUST SUCH AN EVENTUALITY. AFTER EVERYONE WAS BRIEFED; WE ATTEMPTED A LNDG -- IT WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE COCKPIT CREW WORKED WELL TOGETHER; AND I WAS IMPRESSED WITH HOW A LOW-TIME FO HANDLED HIMSELF IN THE EMER. JUMPSEATER WAS FANTASTIC AS WELL. I WAS HAPPY TO HAVE HAD ALL THE HELP; AND BESIDES NOT HAVING A 'FLAPS FAIL' I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS COULD BE AVOIDED IN THE FUTURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE NUMEROUS FLAP FAILURES EXPERIENCED BY CRJ200 FLT CREWS ARE CAUSED BY OVER SENSITIVE AND MALFUNCTIONING FLAP ASYMMETRY DETECTORS. FLAP LIMIT SPEEDS WERE ADJUSTED DOWNWARDS TO REDUCE THE FAILURES AND HAD SOME EFFECT. NEW FLAP SKEW DETECTORS ARE BEING INSTALLED IN SOME ACFT BUT IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THIS ACFT HAD BEEN RETROFITTED.