Well, me too - USN flying for 22 years around big grey hulls (CVN's) so I know just a little something about AOA flying. About 3000 (give or take) hours. Now fly for fun the C-150/172/177RG/T-34B - and of course my small RC fleet. We are saying the same thing - albeit a bit differently. You mentioned the C150. Ok, let's use that to illustrate what really happens with flap deploment. When you deploy flaps (full scale) in the pattern, you must maintain the pattern altitude until abeam the landing position - so you pull the throttle back to 1600 rpm (not idle) entering the downwind, carb heat on, slow to within the white arc (flap operating range). At mid-field on the downwind leg you drop the first 10 degrees of flaps. Plane wants to pitch up, so you hold it down with the elevator to stay on altitude. Target airspeed is 'best glide', in this a/c that's 70 mph. Best glide gets you best L/D in case you lose the engine, and best chance to put the mains on the asphalt if in the pattern when it happens. As she slows, you drop another 10 degrees when abeam your touch down point (should be on the rwy numbers). When you turn to Base, wings level, you drop another 10 (30 total now), maintaining best glide (70 mph), and still at 1600 rpm. To maintain 70 mph, you have to ... yes, you can say it.... change the trim! Or, fight the yoke and get really tired. You were trimmed to 80 entering the downwind, now you are trying to maintain 70, so you have to trim nose up, as the nose wants to drop to pick up airspeed to the trimmed speed of 80mph. So, 30 degrees of flaps, now trimmed for 70 mph, power at 1600 rpm. The drag induced by that extra 10 degrees to 30 increases your descent rate. The VSI goes from about 200' per minute to about 300-350 fpm. Turn final - use rudder to keep the ball centered- or risk an approach turn stall caused by cross controlling (opposite (right) aileron to keep from over rolling (left) while turning left). Decrease throttle in small increments to 1200-1300rpm. When you have the field made, put all of the remaining flaps in (40). The nose wants to pitch down (lots of drag) to maintain the trimmed airspeed of 70. But you don't let the nose drop - you keep the rwy numbers in your windscreen, holding the nose attitude steady, and the result is that airspeed begins bleeding off, you're looking for the over the fence speed of Vso plus 10 (60 mph). Vso is stall speed in the landing configuration. A bit more back on the power, holding that nose attitude steady. Over the numbers, start the round out (flare) and power all the way back to idle. Ease the yoke all the way back, in your gut, using rudder only to maintain centerline. Squeak squeak. Flaps up, carb heat in (off). Get off the active.

Hopefully this illustration points out the aerodynamic forces at work with flaps. If not - go do it your way - have fun anyway.