I agree. I am wondering if small GA planes would bother with any special procedures, since the pattern altitude is so low (about 900 feet I think). It would seem that a higher pattern + flaps steep descent would be better for noise abatement. Maybe noise is only a concern for the big boys. The John Wayne Noise brochure available at
www.ocair.com doesn't really address the issue other than to say that GA planes should perform a minimum flap landing, as per the FAA.
HK