My initial basic/advanced flying training was with the RAAF (from late 1967 through all of 1968) even though I was an RAN 'about to be pilot' (which had no such training facilities). Once we were back at NAS Nowra after about 15 months of ground school / flight training in the RAAF we had to adjust to how the Navy do their landings. Believe me - it is different. I'll wager many GA pilots are taught many things that are either: all the one way or the other; or a mixture of both. However it is clear that as far as I know the RAAF in conventional aircraft (not their Hornets for example) use their method, which is: reducing airspeed on final and increasing flap as required to maintain glideslope with throttle movements as necessary to smoothly approach FLARE and touchdown within the required zone.
A NAVY method is similar to a 'short field landing method' taught in the RAAF when I was Basic Flight Training with them in a Winjeel. My instructor happened to be a Gannet pilot (who later went on to fly Trackers) and he could not WAIT to get to demo a Navy approach to me. When it was possible I would do these short field landing approaches starting out with full flap from the beginning at five knots above stall speed (for the Winjeel a radial prop trainer) and with the nose well down, maintain a constant glide path to aim to hit the numbers on the runway, with that five knots available for a big nose pull up for the flare - land immediately (no floating). That was fun.
BTW the Winjeel was a tail dragger with an unlockable tail wheel. Forget to lock the tailwheel downwind, before entering the circuit was best, and boy oh boy you were in for a fun ride upon landing in any kind of adverse conditions. The tailwheel could be unlocked with full forward stick in flight (aerobatics); but necessary to unlock it whilst taxiing, which was difficult with the view not good, with that big radial prop up high and the tail down on the ground. Locking was achieved by momentarily pulling the stick back in your stomach completely, so best done at slow airspeed, or more likely when taxiing.
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I guess it is worthwhile adding that the RAAF Advanced (Jet) Trainer of that era was the dual seat Vampire (Winjeel also dual seat/side by side). Once again the circuit/approach had a similar method. The RAAF Vampire had a more or less a straight wing, and not that many vices except: NO Spinning (unrecoverable) and a very slow to accelerate jet engine, managed only by the pilot. Over fuel (advance throttle too quickly) and the engine would rumble and howl but NOT accelerate until throttle reduced to have the noise stop and then more slowly advance throttle. There was a minimum RPM to have on finals so as to NOT get too far behind the long acceleration time. Consequently Vampire approaches tended to be a little on the low side (but not too low) with high RPM, so getting the airspeed to landing KIAS early was good, with full flap early good also; but YMMV. Same method as Winjeel though with reducing airspeed, minimal throttle (but above min. RPM) and lower flaps incrementally for the smooth approach, flare to touchdown.
Once at NAS Nowra we were able to first demonstrate our knowledge of 'how to fly the RAAF' way on the RAN FAA Navy Vampire Trainers but quickly shown how to 'sort of' fly the meatball, at about a constant ten knots above landing speed, so that we had energy to do the required flare before touchdown (the Vampire could not carry out a Naval Style landing - no flare). The approach was always going to be a bit dodgy 'flying the meatball' but it was to get us in touch with the Navy way of doing things.
We had to contend with the main west/east runway having a horrendous downdraught at the approach end of RW 26 - even in relatively light winds - due to a deep gully on the approach to the airfield on a 'mesa' in a bowl above lower surrounding terrain, that quickly went higher to the west of the airfield. Westerly winds were turbulent due this terrain to the west; which turbulence was increased by the gully. Many aircraft were lost with fatalities over the years; but not in the A4G/Macchi era due to the better engine and flight controls/response of these aircraft. The Sea Venom was a much more robust, able to carrier land, larger version of the Vampire with better engine response (I have about 100 hours on it but no deck landings). It suffered from poor visibility out the front in landing config; but in operational use the Observer in the right hand seat (who operated the air to air radar for interception all weather night) would call out the airspeed to the pilot, who could concentrate then on the view via a tight circuit, short straightaway.
I had no Observer, making my 'ashore only' circuits a little tricky, due to having to look inside and down for the airspeed, which was more or less constant with full flap at base turn till touchdown. The AoA Indexer in the Skyhawk was terrific, allowing pilots to always be looking at 'meatball, lineup and airspeed (Optimum Angle of Attack) all the way to touchdown.
My point about the downdraught was that it kept us very honest and precise during our approaches to land at NAS Nowra. In similar fashion the carrier approach method does the same. Recall the A-4 Skyhawk has a delta wing so that when the aircraft is dirtied up for landing, but underpowered and getting slow, it will go vertically down on that big DOWN elevator in the sky (that often is TOO CLOSE to the ground).
Therefore our constant speed (for the non-carrier capable / no AoA Indexer aircraft) approaches were very precise. To get slow in the downdraught and underpowered could mean death, as some earlier pilots (in Furies, Venoms) discovered, sadly.
Brings to mind a story about the first RAAF Caribou to appear at NAS Nowra, attempting to demonstrate a short landing on that notorious RW 26, and how it ended up in a bad landing before the numbers, breaking the back of the aircraft, with the wings flopping broken onto the runway with some injuries to the crew. It seemed they were not paying attention to the regular ATC warning during their approach about the downdraught. So you can do all the right things and still be caught out. Best to fly the Navy Way - as described.
