How many times do you check gear down?

[Shadrach]

The pre landing checklist is so ridiculously short.

Barring equipment malfunction I really see no other reason to belly it in.

Distractions happen I understand that but its not a good enough reason. There's plenty of opportunity to put the gear down. It does require paying attention to the airplane.

There's simply no excuse to forget the gear.

Peter, I have seen you take this tack a number of times on this subject. You are begging for fate or God or whatever other forces are at play to show you just how it happens. I know of several smart folks (some even post here occasionally) that have managed to screw this particular pooch.

[1964-M20E]

3 or more I told my wife if we are ever landing and she hasn't heard me check gear down she has my full permission to bitch like she has never bitched before

[Andy95W]

, when the Aera alerts "five hundred" or turning final, verify the gear and flaps are down, and the mixture and prop are set for go-around. That is all.

I do the exact same thing, even verbalizing, "500, green light" right after the Garmin babe says five hundred.

[Hank]

Gear down abeam numbers at 1000', turn base at 700 then final at 500. When I'm busy or tired, it's easy to just count them on my fingers. Roll wings level at 85 mph, slowing to 70/75 on short final if light/heavy, check the floor indicator, close throttle when I have the field made. It's nice not having to dodge trees on every landing! (Except when I go back to visit.)

[midlifeflyer]

For those who say they always out the gear down "abeam." It sounds very systematic and I know a lot of pilots are taught that way. But what do you consider to be "abeam" on a VFR straight in or base approach? Is it equally systematic?

[Jetlag]

twice.  First to see if what a commanded happened.  Second on the before landing checklist.

[Hank]

Call it a mile or so out. I don't do those very often since I don't visit towered fields often. ALWAYS check the floor indicator on short final, though.

[ryoder]

I out the gear down when established in downwind just prior to abeam the numbers to get my Mooney configured for the proper airspeed and power. I also enter the pattern a bit high to hold onto precious altitude. The gear helps me lose that altitude.

[PTK]

Peter, I have seen you take this tack a number of times on this subject. You are begging for fate or God or whatever other forces are at play to show you just how it happens. I know of several smart folks (some even post here occasionally) that have managed to screw this particular pooch.

Ross, I'm trying to see how and why it happens.

If a short checklist on a placard + a mnemonic we repeat over and over + a blaring horn + the gear selector front and center are not enough, I'd like to know what is.

I can't just write it off to "distractions" either.

[Shadrach]

Ross, I'm trying to see how and why it happens.

If a short checklist on a placard + a mnemonic we repeat over and over + a blaring horn + the gear selector front and center are not enough, I'd like to know what is.

I can't just write it off to "distractions" either.

I can't say how it happens to everyone. I can say that the other day I forgot to raise the gear until after departing the pattern. I had my FIL in the plane with me who's a 15,000+ ATP. I was flying out of an unfamiliar airport and there was a fair amount of traffic on the CTAF. There were also lots of birds on our departure path. I was distracted by a near bird strike, an airplane that was doing a straight in approach behind me, an airplane doing a practice RNAV approach to the opposing runway and I tend to lose a fair amount of brain power to intimidation when I fly with my FIL. Add it all up and the end result, was me leveling off at 2500 for a 10 min flight only to see I'd missed an important task.

Bad deal. Could have been much worse.

[midlifeflyer]

Ross, I'm trying to see how and why it happens.

If a short checklist on a placard + a mnemonic we repeat over and over + a blaring horn + the gear selector front and center are not enough, I'd like to know what is.

I can't just write it off to "distractions" either.

You can start your research with this relatively simplistic 1998 article on distraction in the cockpit from NASA http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/publications/directline/dl10_distract.htm

Then you can use google to find multiple articles dealing with everything from driving to operating room procedures that discuss how and, from a psychological and physiological standpoint, why distractions can interfere with performance of almost any task.

Keep in mind, of course, that "distraction" simply means "something that diverts attention". It includes other tasks in a situation in which we are called upon to multi-task or, worse, add an extra level of stress.

[Deb]

For those who say they always out the gear down "abeam." It sounds very systematic and I know a lot of pilots are taught that way. But what do you consider to be "abeam" on a VFR straight in or base approach? Is it equally systematic?

We do the same thing you do: At 3 miles out, 90 KIAS at 1000 ft allows us a 500 ft/min descent, which is a stabilized approach for us. We keep our energy management so that we're at gear lowering speed before that point. Our home field is towered with a mix of jets and props, so we tend to be fast until leveling off from a descent at about 5 miles out, then lower the gear at gear lowering speed. This allows us to blend in with faster straight-in traffic. (ATC frequently helps us blend in.) At small non-towered airports, we like to be a gear lowering speed 5 miles out, and lower the gear about 4 miles out. We check the gear light, the knob and the sight glass at 1000 ft, 500 ft and at the numbers. There are two of us, so the non-flying pilot (pilot monitoring) can remind the flying pilot if they get distracted. So far, so good.

[Shadrach]

For those who say they always out the gear down "abeam." It sounds very systematic and I know a lot of pilots are taught that way. But what do you consider to be "abeam" on a VFR straight in or base approach? Is it equally systematic?

3 miles for straight in.

2 mile base fore base leg pattern entries.

The system is basically of 3s, when I'm 3 air miles from touchdown, the gear goes down. I will admit that unless I'm flying a straight in, it usually isn't truly 3 air miles because I like to fly tightish patterns but it's systematic enough for me.

I rarely fly non standard patterns at uncontrolled fields.

[fantom]

Peter, I have seen you take this tack a number of times on this subject. You are begging for fate or God or whatever other forces are at play to show you just how it happens. I know of several smart folks (some even post here occasionally) that have managed to screw this particular pooch.

 

IMO, he's just worried about having a gear up himself. He's not talking about 'other pilots.'

 

Oh, and I know several smart, and good, pilots here who've screwed this particular pooch, and don't admit it...even here. 

[midlifeflyer]

3 miles for straight in.

2 mile base fore base leg pattern entries.

The system is basically of 3s, when I'm 3 air miles from touchdown, the gear goes down. I will admit that unless I'm flying a straight in, it usually isn't truly 3 air miles because I like to fly tightish patterns but it's systematic enough for me.

I rarely fly non standard patterns uncontrolled fields.

Me too. But I do fly in and out of a good number of towered airports (based at one for 20 years; standard pattern about 25% of the time, excluding touch & goes. I was curious mostly because of posts that at least sounded like there was no standardized plan other than abeam on downwind.

[midlifeflyer]

IMO, he's just worried about having a gear up himself. He's not talking about 'other pilots.'

 

It might be the exact opposite. Based on his apparent rejection of the effect of distractions on human behavior, PTK might simply be convinced that he has insulated himself from such things and can't understand how others are affected.

 

He is absolutely correct, though, when he says 

 

 

There's simply no excuse to forget the gear.

 

There is no excuse. There are reasons but there is no excuse. The proof is that it happens to some but not to many others in similar situations.

[DonMuncy]

A few years ago I installed a "Bitchin Betty" that is wired into the normal gear warning circuit. I consider it one of the best "bang for the buck" items I have purchased. One doesn't miss her repeated "check gear" warnings, nor confuse it with the stall warning horn. I think the only down-side is that I tend to rely on it more than I should. Last year, I had distractions coming in to land, and the gear warning throttle switch failed at the same time. I would have done a gear up had it not been for the tower telling me to immediately go around. I now work harder at double checking the floor gear down indicator.

[jetdriven]

3 miles for straight in.

2 mile base fore base leg pattern entries.

The system is basically of 3s, when I'm 3 air miles from touchdown, the gear goes down. I will admit that unless I'm flying a straight in, it usually isn't truly 3 air miles because I like to fly tightish patterns but it's systematic enough for me.

I rarely fly non standard patterns uncontrolled fields.

 

Very similar here. Gear down abeam the numbers (a little sooner if faster than 100kt).   Gear down on a 3 mile final at pattern altitude.  It takes 3 air miles to lose 1000'.

 

Just the other day I landed for gas in Spartanburg, SC. I turned downwind about 2 miles from the airport on the upwind side. The trees seemed to be moving pretty quick and I looked at the GPS it showed a groundspeed of 196 knots.  Holding it level for the 3 miles, with power set to 20", and then 17" it slowed to 100 knots by the time I was abeam the numbers for landing.  You dont have to beat up on the airplane to get it to slow down. The level segment is the key.

[Shadrach]

IMO, he's just worried about having a gear up himself. He's not talking about 'other pilots.'

 

Oh, and I know several smart, and good, pilots here who've screwed this particular pooch, and don't admit it...even here. 

Don't keep me guessing man!!!! PM me all of the Dirt! 

[Marauder]

Don't keep me guessing man!!!! PM me all of the Dirt!

Yes indeed! Inquiring minds want to know!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Browncbr1]

I glance at green light and J bar about as often as airspeed indicator until landing.

[Tankinbarber]

I fly a rocket. Need gear down to slow down so I would say i check it about 10 times!!! hahahaha

[Houman]

I fly a rocket. Need gear down to slow down so I would say i check it about 10 times!!! hahahaha

Exactly what I said before, Unless you pull to almost idle and bring out the speed breaks, nothing slows you down as much as the gear, so it is one of the hints, if you are too fast, check the gear !!!

[Shadrach]

I check it once, formally. It typically goes like this....

 

1. Spoilers out

2. Gear down

3. Flaps 15

4. Flaps 33

 

Before landing checklist, and again, this transfers from my 121 flying, such as pointing to set altitudes and calling it out (even to myself if no one else is in the airplane) and saying "ALTS CAP 15000" etc.

 

1. Landing gear down and locked. I point at the gear handle, the annunciator panel, and I point at the football on the floor. Plus it's pretty easy to know when I've got the gear out otherwise it'll be fairly quiet and I'll be fairly fast!  

 

2. Flaps 33 Degrees

 

3. Lights - As required (when I'm in range, I turn on the recognition lights. When I'm cleared for the approach I turn on the taxi lights, and when I'm cleared to land I turn on the landing lights)

 

4. Fly the plane.

You notice the wind noise from the gear at 100kts or less?

[Seth]

Last CFII I rode with firmly chided me for the downwind, base, final gear check. He was of the opinion that I should put the gear down on downwind (or FAF) as usual, keep my hand and eyes on the switch until the indicator turns green, and let that be the end of it. He thought checking again was redundant and distracting. I found keeping my hand on the switch for the gear to go down to be distracting, the kachunk said 'gear down' for me, and the green light confirmed it.I really need the GUMPS check on short final, otherwise it's like leaving home without brushing my teeth. Feels very wrong. So, I continue to do it my way.

Be careful when holding the switch itself waiting for te gear to go down. Over time this can cause the gear switch to come off in your hand. When I put my gear down I then hold the glare shield above the gear switch until I look at the floor and see the gear is indicated down. Slight variation of yours as I don't want to have the gear knob in my hand off the panel and have to get out needle nose plyers (or a leatherman) or ,ami ally extend the gear.

I have heard of it here on the board but have never seen this in real life.

-Seth