RE: Propeller acts as brake?
Of course not!
What a silly thing to say.
The model's pitch attitude has to be proper for the model's wingloading and approach speed.
High wingloading.. my Uni-Jet at 18 oz per lands with the fuselage at a much different angle (and speed) than my Easy Star.
Pontificating that -all- models -must- be drug in leads to wingip-prop-wingtip-upsicedown landings.
The individual model's characteristics determine how it approaches.
There is no -one- way to do it.
The helicopter analogy is quite correct, BTW.
An autorotation is very similar to a freewheeling propellor.
That's the reason for the clutch in the drive train.