Speak for yourself.

I do precisely that on a regular basis, for PRECISELY the reason I do it in a "real" plane...to eliminate back pressure on the elevator.

We don't? The elevator stick moves all by itself then, with no force involved?

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You asked for us to "Describe your downwind, base and final aproach's use of the elevator." Fair enough:

I set up a downwind at an "appropriate" height for what might be called a "short field landing" in scale terms...that is to say, I fly the downwind higher than is necessary. Just personal preference...I happen to like to hang on to the altitude as long as possible *heh*. Granted, it makes for a steeper and faster final, which is more demanding than a slower descent, but again...just personal preference. A more subtle and smooth descent has advantages as well, to be sure. I just like the advantage of excess power provided by the steeper final.

I'll fly as flat a turn as reasonable to turn base, at that time throwing in a "couple" beeps of up elevator during the turn. I use "couple" loosely here, as it's obviously different for each airplane, field, approach altitude, etc. Usually, it's a beep or two, sometimes as many as 4-5. Just depends. I'll typically throw just a BIT more up trim in right before the turn to final.

I try to fly the approach so the moment I'm wings level on final, I can chop the throttle to idle. Obviously, practice, stick time, and just dumb blind luck all go into having judged that approach correctly to do that. By no means do I always achieve it, but that's my target.

IF I've nailed one, then I'll fly elevator trim and aileron all the way to the ground, never using the elevator stick. (I use the index finger and middle finger on the stick, thumb on the elevator trim) Again...doesn't always work out that way, but if I nail one, that's the end result I'm looking for. You'll never see a bigger smile on my face than when I land my 33% Pitts S2S and never touch the throttle after I cut to idle on the final.

Contrary to what Charlie P said above, I WILL use pitch as speed control, power as altitude control, in both full scale and rc situations...yes, even with bipes. Now, I'll admit, he said full scale bipes, and my total landings in one of those is precisely 1....but, interestingly, I was told by its owner to fly the final in precisely that fashion. *shrug*

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WHY do I do it all that way? I dunno...it makes sense to me. I use to argue whether newton or bernoulli caused airplanes to fly, and I used to argue whether pitch controlled airspeed or altitude. I decided to give all that up because...well...you know what they say about arguing on the internet.

I know what makes sense to me, what has allowed me to land RC and scale airplanes successfully. The principles are precisely the same for one very good reason...they're both airplanes. As such, they do the things that airplanes do, for the reasons that airplanes do them.

I'm not ABOUT to suggest that it's the "right" or "only" or "best" way to land an RC airplane. Heck, I figure the same standard that applies to full scale applies here...if you can fly the airplane again, then you did the landing the right way

But an RC airplane quite definitely CAN be landed the same way full scale ones are. My RC instructor taught it to me that way, he does it that way. My CFI taught me scale landings that way, and I taught him RC landings that way. *shrug* Whatever works, right?