Causes of gear ups

[steingar]

Lets here it for the Johnson bar gear! Most of the wear and tear is on yours truly. So yes, the gear will go up for most pattern work. That said, I doubt I'll ever again do much of any pattern work. If I'm going to do multiple landings (like I plan this weekend) I'll visit several nearby airports. The Mooney gets there quickly enough, and getting the aircraft to pattern altitude and slowed down is at least as much of a skill as landing. That, and it saves wear and tear on my arm.

 

[EdFred]

I dunno. This seems really obvious to me, but apparently it isn't to everyone.

Practicing something WRONG is far, far, far worse than not practicing it at all. When the time comes, you will do it wrong. Every musician knows this. Probably every athlete as well.

It's the same reason I have a gear horn rule in complex aircraft. If the horn sounds unexpectedly, airspeed goes below Vle and gear goes down. Even if it goes right back up again. The ONLY exception is a preplanned and briefed action, such as an engine-out at altitude or emergency descent practice (it can be argued that the latter should be done at low speed with the gear and flaps down). I've gotten tripped up by this a few times descending rapidly from a pass to make it under a low Class B shelf, and I refuse to train in ignoring a gear horn.

I think we are in agreement. The only time I ignore the (sustained) gear horn is when I'm practicing/demonstrating a power-on stall. I usually pull the power, listen to the whine of the horn, bleed off speed, then nose up and add full power, just so we don't climb a couple thousand (maybe an exaggeration) feet waiting for the stall to arrive.

On descent from cruise into an airport I pull power to the point that it just makes it's first whine (mine is based on throttle position alone - and I know about when it's coming) then add just enough throttle in to keep if from making noise. The thing is with the Comanche, and the Mooney, is they are slick enough it's hard to fly the pattern with the gear up. The gear horn is whining, or you're going waaaaaay fast if level, and climbing if you are trying to get to pattern speed.

 

[flyingron]

Not to mention the thud you get through the seat when they drop.
Issue with Navion 34K I had was with lights on, the greens were so dim I had to cycle several times, then I turned off the nav lights and found the three green. I have to remember to check the dimmer. 5 hours in a complex. I hope to build good habits to keep me from being THAT guy. Downwind three checks, base one, final one. Don't count on the gear horn since one cannot hear it over the engine.

You should consider a better set of headphones. I have no problem hearing the gear horn (though the throttle setting is set a bit too low right now in my opinion). There's a resister you can change (or short) to get rid of the feature of autodimming the gear lights with the nav lights if you want.

 

[Sac Arrow]

I dunno. This seems really obvious to me, but apparently it isn't to everyone.

Practicing something WRONG is far, far, far worse than not practicing it at all. When the time comes, you will do it wrong. Every musician knows this. Probably every athlete as well.

It's the same reason I have a gear horn rule in complex aircraft. If the horn sounds unexpectedly, airspeed goes below Vle and gear goes down. Even if it goes right back up again. The ONLY exception is a preplanned and briefed action, such as an engine-out at altitude or emergency descent practice (it can be argued that the latter should be done at low speed with the gear and flaps down). I've gotten tripped up by this a few times descending rapidly from a pass to make it under a low Class B shelf, and I refuse to train in ignoring a gear horn.

I can agree with that. That is why I don't do pattern work in my Arrow.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Just curious, if one wanted to land gear up purposefully, what choices would one make?

To start, would you choose a sleepy untowered airport? What radio calls would you make? Would you do it when the FBO is open or closed? Would you do choose a landing spot close to the FBO to minimize walking, or far away so that nobody can watch?

I think I would rephrase the question as "if one had to land gear up" vs. wanted to. The only valid reason I can think of wanting to land gear up at an airport or other suitable hard landing spot is to avoid a partial gear up landing, which can do a whole lot more damage.

 

[NoHeat]

I think I would rephrase the question as "if one had to land gear up" vs. wanted to. The only valid reason I can think of wanting to land gear up at an airport or other suitable hard landing spot is to avoid a partial gear up landing, which can do a whole lot more damage.

Hmm. I don't want to explain a joke, but ...

In jest, EdFred suggested insurance fraud as a cause of gear-up landings. Except that he wrote it much more delicately, which made for very good humor. My post, to which you replied, was also in jest, asking the readership exactly how one would execute an intentional and unnecessary gear-up landing, if one wished to do so.

 

[Ravioli]

Hold on!! Putting some popcorn in the microwave and grabbing a drink!

Microwave? I had more respect for you than that!

 

[tmyers]

I would say do whatever you want, but personally, I would put the gear up on a go-around or a flight around the pattern.

Especially if your planning to climb
at an acceptable rate

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

 

[Kritchlow]

Yeah.... Who would want to get in the habit of not putting the wheels down? (IOW, keep them down in the pattern). That doesn't sound right.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Hmm. I don't want to explain a joke, but ...

In jest, EdFred suggested insurance fraud as a cause of gear-up landings. Except that he wrote it much more delicately, which made for very good humor. My post, to which you replied, was also in jest, asking the readership exactly how one would execute an intentional and unnecessary gear-up landing, if one wished to do so.

Oh. I see. I made my post in jest to.

No, not in jest. Ingest. I was actually eating an early lunch at the time and I didn't have time to go through the thread history to detect the intertie. Sorry for ruining your joke. I'm sure you'll get over it.

 

[narchee]

Because insurance adjusters may peruse POA?

If someone wants to gear up purposely and does not communicate that intent to anyone, they're going to get away with it unfortunately. Nobody can prove otherwise. I say "unfortunately" because WE all pay for it, those of us who have insurance on our planes. We all ultimately collectively pay these people who would do such a thing. And I'm sure it has happened.