LNDG WITHOUT CLRNC. STABILIZED APCH CONCEPT VIOLATED.

Narrative

WE LANDED AT AUS WITHOUT TWR CLRNC AFTER A SLAM-DUNK APCH. AT 4000 FT; 230 KTS; 15 MI AWAY ON A VECTOR 90 DEGS AWAY FROM THE ILS RWY 13R FINAL APCH COURSE; I WANTED TO PUT OUT FLAPS 1 DEG TO START SLOWING DOWN. (I'M NEW IN THIS AIRPLANE; STILL UNDER 100 HRS. THE CAPT HAS 4 YRS IN THE AIRPLANE.) CAPT TALKED ME OUT OF IT. I BOWED TO HIS GREATER EXPERIENCE. THE APCH CTLR WAS TRYING TO VECTOR US (SEQUENCE US) BEHIND A GUY; HE WAS NOT TOO FAR AHEAD OF US; HENCE THE VECTOR. AT ABOUT 4 MI FROM THE FIELD; APCH WANTED TO KNOW IF WE HAD THE FIELD. CAPT SAID YES AND CALLED IT. I SAID I DIDN'T HAVE IT. WHEN I ACQUIRED THE RWY; WE WERE LINED UP AND VERY HIGH. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED THROWING OUT FLAPS; GEAR; AND SPD BRAKES. WE WERE TOTALLY UNSTABILIZED; NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY PROCS. I SUGGESTED A GAR AT ABOUT 800 FT AGL. CAPT SAID WE COULD MAKE IT; BUT IF I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE; TO GAR. I LET MYSELF BE LED DOWN THE PRIMROSE PATH AND CONTINUED THE APCH. HERE ARE OUR SNAFUS: 1) ACCEPTING A VISUAL APCH TO AN UNFAMILIAR ARPT IN VERY HAZY FLT CONDITIONS. 2) NEVER CONTACTED THE TWR. 3) LANDED WITHOUT LNDG CLRNC. 4) NOT STABILIZED BY 500 FT IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY PROCS. 5) NO LNDG CHKLIST. DUMB! DUMB! DUMB! TWR GRACIOUSLY ACKNOWLEDGED OUR 'RADIO FAILURE' AND SAID THEY HAD SHOT US A GREEN LIGHT. YEAH; RIGHT! WHAT MAKES ME CRAZY IS THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 10 YRS I VIOLATED MY #1 RULE OF FLYING. I GOT THIS RULE WHILE FLYING IN THE NAVY; AND IT IS: HOW WOULD THIS SCENARIO LOOK/SOUND IF I HAD TO EXPLAIN IT AT A HEARING? TODAY'S INCIDENT WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE EXAMPLE OF POOR HEADWORK ON MY PART (THE CAPT'S; TOO!). SORRY THIS IS SO DISJOINTED. WE LANDED 2 HRS AGO AND I'M STILL RILED UP.