New strategies are proposed to design GAS controllers for two significant classes of nonlinear flexible systems. Inspired by a non affine control technique, we have designed some novel nonlinear control laws which use the full state in order to enhance the damping of the flexible modes: this new design is all the more interesting than the classes of considered systems belong to non triangular nonlinear systems. Finally, the effectiveness of our approach is illustrated on simplified models of a flexible launcher and spacecraft.