On the single-seat (i.e. REAL !!!) Vampires and Venoms I remember the stick moving noticeably forward as flap went down - visiting genii from the Central School of Driving Aereoplanes once told us 2TAF mud-moving squadron drivers that this was NOT a trim change, but due to changing airflow over the tailplane ... seemed like a trim change to us nevertheless ...
The above gentle people were also a bit smiffy about our landing techniques - stick back after mainwheel touchdown for max braking, then let the nose-wheel drop gently onto the runway ... If bored while all this was happening, use left hand to wind back the canopy and let some fresh air in. They said this had about as much effect as hanging a knotted handkerchief out, but I don't think anybody put that to the test.
After flaps down, the airbrakes could be used to try to soak up some speed on finals: I don't remember that they really had all that much effect either, but at least we tried ... Aaaah de Havilland !!!
About the mighty and beautiful Victor 1 - those barn doors were great on the approach, and at one stage there was an idea to use constant engine rpm, controlling speed with the airbrakes - but it was soon clear that traditional methods were OK (even to asking for "1/2%" rpm changes - remeber those tiny dials ??? )... Cocky or what ???
