Gear up

[TWinter]

I've been to a few FBOs and seen the following..Don't remember which were where, but I thought cool ideas and cheaper than making a pilot buy a bitching Betty.

1. As many mentioned..love those old military bases that give you the radio reminder. Portsmouth NH (PSM) does it regularly.

2. Saw an FBO once that had a sign at the end of the runways that says in big letters,,  :  "GEAR DOWN"

3. I've also seen a FBO that actually mowed the grass with the airport identifier and GEAR DOWN. Now that would be a PIA to maintain all summer and I'm guessing if you landed in the winter when the grass is not growing you are on your own, they probably have a few more gear ups during the winter..lol    I'm assuming that they did this just temporary or for fun..I can't imagine they actually maintained it that way. Pretty cool though.

 

-Tom

[aviatoreb]

30 minutes ago, bluehighwayflyer said:

My dad tells a good story from his old USAF days as a KC-135 pilot. To those of you who have "been there and done that", please forgive me any minor factual errors, as I have not, and this story is being told entirely from memory. As I recall it he was taking off heavy out of Andersen AFB in Guam.  With the J57s billowing black smoke from the water injection, they attempted to rotate at the calculated rotation speed ... and nothing happened. Both pilots looked at each other dumbfounded, still accelerating down the runway, pushed the yoke back back forward, then tried pulling it back again as if something different would happen the second time around. It didn't. Then one of them realized that they had somehow failed to set the stabilator trim prior to take off. Committed at this point, with the yoke held all the way back and the trim motor running she rotated right before reaching the end of the runway.  The tower, having noticed that they had used far more runway to take off than was normal, called to ask if everything was alright, to which they responded "roger", and that was that.  The rest of the flight was uneventful.

Little ommissions can really bite you in the a$$ in aviation. In some ways, I guess, gear ups are the least of our concerns.

Jim

A little split second problem solving was necessary there.

[aviatoreb]

I had the p2 audio system installed in my plane.  I always felt that voice annunciation is better than bells and horns. Bitchn' betty says in a frantic voice, "check gear, check gear!!". If gear is down instead I get a deep soothing voice, "gear is down."

http://www.p2inc.com/audioadvisory.asp

Nothing is fool proof, but hopefully it adds just one more layer to catch the fool pilot if he is ever having a bad day.  We all may be excellent pilots but we need to admit we are human and humans are failable - rather than feeling smug that it cannot happen to me.  That is the first step to remaining vigilant. (Not that I am blaming anyone here.  I am saying this as a mantra to myself - out loud).