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From some clever person online called "theunitofcaring" on tumblr, found through Andrew Ducker:
I feel confident Balrogs can’t fly, because that would have changed the tactical situation in the Silmarillion substantially. Tolkien paid a lot of attention to the capabilities of his armies. The Nazgul can fly and this is frequently relevant; they cover distances they couldn’t have covered overland, while Tolkien works hard to keep the distances covered by scout parties and soldiers on foot and cavalry units consistent with the realistic capabilities of those groups. ...
...in the Silmarillion...[Balrogs]...don’t scout; they don’t seem to be used for communications or important operations at a great distance from Angband... [Morgoth used bats (or bat-like things) for his comms]; ... The Balrogs engage the front lines of their armies.. Holding a choke point works, i.e. in the retreat to Gondolin after the Nirnaeth. It worked in Moria too, and the Balrog there fell, dragging Gandalf with it.
And furthermore, Melkor spends centuries trying to make dragons (the early ones of those were flightless, too, but he got them winged eventually) precisely because it would be such an enormous tactical advantage to have forces that can work in the air! The winged dragons were a game-changer in the War of Wrath, successfully countered eventually only by the Eagles and Eärendil who could also fly. "
I am persuaded.
I feel confident Balrogs can’t fly, because that would have changed the tactical situation in the Silmarillion substantially. Tolkien paid a lot of attention to the capabilities of his armies. The Nazgul can fly and this is frequently relevant; they cover distances they couldn’t have covered overland, while Tolkien works hard to keep the distances covered by scout parties and soldiers on foot and cavalry units consistent with the realistic capabilities of those groups. ...
...in the Silmarillion...[Balrogs]...don’t scout; they don’t seem to be used for communications or important operations at a great distance from Angband... [Morgoth used bats (or bat-like things) for his comms]; ... The Balrogs engage the front lines of their armies.. Holding a choke point works, i.e. in the retreat to Gondolin after the Nirnaeth. It worked in Moria too, and the Balrog there fell, dragging Gandalf with it.
And furthermore, Melkor spends centuries trying to make dragons (the early ones of those were flightless, too, but he got them winged eventually) precisely because it would be such an enormous tactical advantage to have forces that can work in the air! The winged dragons were a game-changer in the War of Wrath, successfully countered eventually only by the Eagles and Eärendil who could also fly. "
I am persuaded.
