I suspected a Pou-du-Ciel joke was coming. I believe John Pontius of California has long since gone west, but Canadian Paul Pontois is still very active in both the English- and French-language Mignet communities online, though he doesn't get out much anymore. What is the source and date of that article, Autodidact?
The idea of using camber-changing flaps on the front wing to change both angle of attack for pitch control and the lift/drag characteristics of the main wing is very interesting. It shows how there is a whole range of variations between something like the original Pou-du-Ciel concept and a conventional wing/horizontal stabilizer configuration. This Pontius design with fixed wing incidence is one small step towards the middle and the
Gatard Statoplan with its more conventional proportions but similar control system (plus ailerons) is there to meet it from the other direction.
Here's a small clip of the Pontius "flea" in action:
http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675045448_John-Pontius_plane-parked-on-ground_pilot-in-cockpit_plane-takes-off