What, Is may the "land gear up month" and no one told me?

[Lawman]

Hows this for an aphorism

 

[Steve Wilkins]

If anybody on this forum thinks that this couldn't happen to them, think again. Coming from a multi-piloted aircraft, as an instructor I ran a scenario that caught 75% of students (winged aviators upgrading to 2P or AC) with gear up on final. That is a huge eye opener. That is why when the tower says "check wheels down" for the fifth time on the approach, I still look for three down and locked. And it can still happen to me.
\end rant\

Mind sharing the scenario?

 

[Steve Wilkins]

So SWO's do have a purpose!

 

[zab1001]

I looked at that pic and after saying (Joe Dirt voice) "daaaaaaang"...I actually got nostalgic for Dodge. Cocktail please.

 

[webmaster]

So SWO's do have a purpose!

No, not really...

 

[Pugs]

DO YOUR CHECKLISTS. USE YOUR CREWMEMBERS. IF YOU ARE SOLO --- DO YOUR CHECKLISTS (GEAR/FLAPS) AGAIN .... AND MAYBE AGAIN!

Concure A-4s. In three logbooks of military flying I cannot remember ever not saying and checking "three down and locked" on short final with my pilot.

 

[e6bflyer]

Mind sharing the scenario?

Sure. On downwind for a flaps 14 landing in the E-6 (the big kind), start talking to your stud about how his sight picture is going to change, ask how his power pull and landing flare are going to differ. On a normal flaps 40 or 50 landing, the mantra that gets the gear down is "Flaps 25, gear down, before landing checklist". Since you never get to flaps 25 (the flaps are already at 14 on the downwind), most students generally forget to call for the gear, especially if they are thinking, talking, and flying all at once (still a feat for me today). Only when the gear warning horn goes off due to the throttles being at or near idle do most catch it. Some students even silence the warning horn (still an option at flaps 14) and continue down final until the engineer or I pimps him or her.
I forgot the gear when it was done to me during AC syllabus, it is a lesson that I hopefully will only have to learn once. We are such creatures of habit.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

No, not really...

Who asked you. Get back to packing!

 

[webmaster]

Who asked you. Get back to packing!

Gotta have orders to do that..

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Thought you did have orders.....finally. It might be time to have a little one on one with your detailer. :icon_boxi

 

[flysupertomcat]

Saw that ealier in the month...ouch.
One runway, no diverts. Hate to be that crew.
I see no foam on the runway. Usually a sign of a planned gear up landing.
Hope there is a good reason...

There is such a thing as planned gear up landings? This is news to me.

 

[Slammer2]

If theres an emergency, and the gear won't go down, or if its down but the pilot doesnt think that its locked down, he can call ahead to the airport and let them know. they can PLAN for the potential disaster by spraying foam down.

 

[nittany03]

Some aircraft (I know mine does) have a table in the checklist listing actions taken with certain gear configurations. As in if the nose gear doesn't come down do A, if one main doesn't do B, or two mains C. In some instances it's preferable to raise the gear completely and belly it in rather than risk it in the current (flawed) configuration. And usually airplanes with hooks try to do a short-field arrestment if able.

 

[HH-60H]

There is such a thing as planned gear up landings? This is news to me.

There is probably a lot in aviation that is news to you.

 

[Brett327]

There is probably a lot in aviation that is news to you.

Brett