tmyers
En-Route
Premature Retractulation ranks right up there with Confirmative!!!
BTW, this is another instance where an AoA indicator is useful as it will give the same indication at the true Vy (or Vx) regardless of the DA and aircraft weight.
The auto extend also prevents premature retraction of the gear till you are above a certain air speed. It varies slightly with different aircraft but is around 70 kts. This control was installed to prevent someone from retracting the gear too early so they did not settle back onto the runway with the gear on the way up.
There is a second airspeed mast on the left cabin wall and a diaphragm under the floor that this mast feeds. I disable my auto extend for a short field so I can raise the gear when I want, then return it to normal once the flaps are retracted and I am at Vy
That sounds scary! Angwin is pretty much the only one in my local area I haven't flown to yet. It's on the list with my CFI to get there soon. My curiosity has piqued. Glad you made it out okay Sac!
My SOP is to disable auto extend before every takeoff. If I've got to put it down quickly after departure and need to decide between gear and no gear, I don't want a second opinion from the plane! Of couse I could probably avoid this with a zoom climb.
Yeah mine too now but in my previous Arrow I just left it locked out all the time. I'm enabling it in flight now because I agreed to leave it active after flight for the Other Guy.
did you try climbing out in English?
jk, glad you are ok and sounds like you are making 'mental notes' to learn from the experience. don't beat yourself up!
As dicey airports go, I wouldn't say Angwin is at the top of the list, just pay very close attention to the winds and DA. I've flown in and out of there a couple times before with no issues.
So have I. Never on a really hot day (uncomfortable -- I prefer to get my DA with altitude). Think of it as DVO without a windsock. It's a pussycat in calm wind, but can do some weird stuff when blowing.
Frankly, Columbia is a bit worse in the wind, and the traffic can get hairy, too. Air tanker ops mixed in with real slow taildraggers aiming at the turf runway. But that's a common first post-checkride cross-country.