What reminds you to put the gear down?

[201er]

What is the first thing that reminds you to put the gear down? Do you follow a checklist, operating habit, or the plane talking to you (reminding you to put the gear down or it refuses to come down)? Anyone admit to forgeting to put it down some time? What type of normal reminder failed you? What about the guys whose gear stays down, is there a particular reason you chose the M20D?

[sleepingsquirrel]

Quote: 201er

What is the first thing that reminds you to put the gear down? Do you follow a checklist, operating habit, or the plane talking to you (reminding you to put the gear down or it refuses to come down)? Anyone admit to forgeting to put it down some time? What type of normal reminder failed you? What about the guys whose gear stays down, is there a particular reason you chose the M20D?

[Piloto]

For me is a natural habit to set gear and flaps down at 3 miles or at 1,000 feet. My plane is also equipped with a Voice Alert device that comes up in case I forget about it. Although the factory alarm will come up too this can be mistaken for the stall warning. Unlike the factory alarm the Voice alert can be heard thru the headphones and cabin speaker. For the cost of the device ($400) vs the cost of a gear up I strongly recommend the Voice Alert device.

 

José

 

 

 

[jeckford]

Jose

Is this what you are talking about?

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/voicegearalert.php

[Ncbosshoss]

I need them down to slow down!

[201er]

Ok, I forgot to put gear warning on the poll but seriously if someone is realying on the gear warning to remind them to put it down, that's pretty bad. I'm split between habit and that I need to put it down to come down much like I need to trim up to land. I've never forgotten to extend flaps for landing because it's a landing configuration habit and cause it feels funny without them. Likewise with the gear. However, I have forgotten to extend flaps for takeoff from short fields a few times so to me checklists are more important on the ground.

The thing I most worry about is some day when I don't need to put the gear down for the approach to work. Like being asked by tower to extend downwind, flying slow, extending flaps, and getting in landing configuration but delaying gear extentsion and dropping below 90knots. This would mess up my existing system because habit dictates to put it down on downwind and needing it down presumes a normal pattern. So if I ever get into an abnormal situation like that, it would leave me with GUMPS check and Gear Warning.

Question: Do you think gear ups mostly happen to guys who switch around between fixed/retractable gear planes? Or are they just as likely to happen to guys who solely fly retracts?

[aerobat95]

For me it was the training in UPT.  My instructors used to give us hell if we didn't confirm the gear down and now that I am a UPT instructor I give my student hell if they don't put down and confirm down the gear. 

[MooneyMitch]

Those that have and those that will.........................

[aerobat95]

Quote: Mitch

Those that have and those that will.........................

[scottfromiowa]

Quote: 201er

What is the first thing that reminds you to put the gear down? Do you follow a checklist, operating habit, or the plane talking to you (reminding you to put the gear down or it refuses to come down)? Anyone admit to forgeting to put it down some time? What type of normal reminder failed you? What about the guys whose gear stays down, is there a particular reason you chose the M20D?

[FlyDave]

I like Squirel's answer! I LMAO!!

But for me, GUMPS-F downwind, base and final. Also, the airplane is a lot slipperier than I'm used to in the pattern without the gear down so it just doesn't feel right. But always 3 GUMPS-F; Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Prop, Flaps - FULL ON FINAL (unless strong cross-wind).

Oh yeah, if all else fails short final the gear warning sounds.

Quiet Mitch!!!!!

[aerobat95]

So for those that have had a GU in the Mooney....did the gear horn go off?  What would you say were the factors that lead to the accident?  As far as the habits....we use checklists.  However, in the T-6 once in the pattern and below 150 the gear comes down.  One of the techniques I teach is on short final I ALWAYS confirm Gear, Flaps, & Clearance to land.  Scott, I feel for ya....your instructor definately lost SA and should have not let you get that far.  Bad on him... 

[kerry]

Prior to landing I go back and forth grabbing my throttle and j-bar handle.  I do this 5-6 times on base to final and then again just before touch down.

[Sven]

Quote: 201er

What is the first thing that reminds you to put the gear down? Do you follow a checklist, operating habit, or the plane talking to you (reminding you to put the gear down or it refuses to come down)? Anyone admit to forgeting to put it down some time? What type of normal reminder failed you? What about the guys whose gear stays down, is there a particular reason you chose the M20D?

[pjsny78]

It’s a habit now. But I must admit one time I was really tired and I forgot to put the gear down and thank god for the buzzer.

I have on a few occasions forgotten to put the gear up on takeoff and then I see that I cannot climb and then the gear goes up. I rather deal with the later...

 

[BorealOne]

I transitioned to a Mooney from an amphib - it was pretty easy 'I'm landing on water, gear up; I'm landing on land, gear down'. Hard to confuse the two - but it does happen :-)

 

[triple8s]

I have a habit, yes but always use a mental G U M P and verify. I'd owned my Mooney for about one year and one cold morning was headed to KBNA from KDKX just a short hop, wife was with me and also a friend. I dont know how it happened, I still wonder if someone had gotten into the cockpit while parked. Anyhow as soon as I turned on the master, the warning goes off and I see the red light. I push on the J-Bar and it goes "CLICK". Thats the closest I have come to a gear problem, now I always check over and over again.

[rainman]

On my first flight solo in my Mooney I had to change my flight plan do to weather and made my VFR approach to the airport, GUMPS....oh too fast...bounced..go around..power/gear up/trim/flaps..jet traffic on my tail on final....then a call from another plane "hey Mooney are you going to put your gear down!"  Holy s...! Gear down land. Sit in the plane thinking about it ...Wow. Paper checklist everytime, check the green oval everytime.  As Scott mentioned if something interfers with your routine you can get in trouble if you don't use a checklist. My two cents. Ray

[bnicolette]

I have engrained in me on about a 1/2 mile final, a final check.  And since I am used to flying as part of a crew, I say it out loud.

3 green no red(2 indications in the Mooney), full flaps, ignition on (boost pump in the Mooney), landing clearance (verified by landing light on).  Can't land without going through this mentally every single landing.

I don't use checklists.  I devised a flow check for each phase of flight that covers the checklist.  For me it is a lot easier and nothing gets missed from going back and forth from a checklist to the item being checked.

However, one must never say never.  My plane was involved in a Gear Up landing and it was a US Air driver that did it!

[Ned Gravel]

Quote: Ncbosshoss

I need them down to slow down!

[stevesm20b]

I always fly by the numbers. 2300-2400rpm and 20"mp in the descent. Three miles out, power pulled back to 14" to 16", level off and wait for speed to slow to 120mph. Then gear goes down. Downwind abeam the numbers and 100mph add flaps. I think it's hard to forget to put the gear down in a Mooney because, in any kind of descent for final, it's hard to slow the airplane down unless you have the gear down.     

[PTK]

Personally I never got into reading routine checklists in the air. I read them on the ground. 

I devised and utilize my own visual "geographic" checklist in preparation for landing my J. I got the idea from my FAA Instruments Designated Examiner believe it or not! He used the term "geographic" and uses it for his Comanche. It can be devised for other airplanes depending on panel layout or geography.

My eyes start top left with AS indicator come right verify AI and Altimeter and then to Gear verify down. From there I come straight down to Throttle Prop and Mixture and right below to Flaps. Continue down to the floor to Fuel selector with right hand and boost pump and Landing light with left hand. Finally check seatbelts. I like this because it is very deliberate and methodical. It is quick enabling me to run through it multiple times at different phases of the landing. It is natural and not distracting as it blends in with my scan. Also it is safe for the gear and flaps and maneuvering because it always starts with the AS. On final I'm either landing or I'm not. Either way is fine with me and the airplane because we're all done with the configuration! Now the real work begins. Left hand on the yoke right hand on the Throttle and feet on the rudder. Nail the GS and grease it! Gotta love the Mooney!

On the ground I pull out the checklist each and every time.

[rbridges]

Quote: triple8s

I have a habit, yes but always use a mental G U M P and verify. I'd owned my Mooney for about one year and one cold morning was headed to KBNA from KDKX just a short hop, wife was with me and also a friend. I dont know how it happened, I still wonder if someone had gotten into the cockpit while parked. Anyhow as soon as I turned on the master, the warning goes off and I see the red light. I push on the J-Bar and it goes "CLICK". Thats the closest I have come to a gear problem, now I always check over and over again.

[M20F]

Force of habit + GUMPS on final works for me 98% of the time.  There has been 2 times though in my flying career where the gear horn saved the day.

[bnicolette]

Quote: rbridges