The Vortex’s and the spin-offs are fine...it’s actually what you want. They control the in-direct heat. Ya ain’t gotta have one, but now that ya got one, let’s roll with the wing plan.
When I do wings, I lock the wing joint behind the drumette head...that way the wing joint don’t sit in the heat ‘tits up’ and just grill, blacken to nothing in the long run. If ya lock ‘em behind the drumette, creates a little more mass for the slow grill. Absolutely flip, after the bottom side has been down for a bit, flip ‘em. Give the other side of the wing a little shot at the bottom heat. Just be mindful, if you sling any sauce on ‘em, the flipping has to be done a little quicker. At that point, every flip, sauce ‘em...helps keep ‘em glazed and moist on the inside.