Gear up landings can happen to ANYONE...

wrote in message ...
http://www.sftt.us/cgi-bin/csNews/cs...iewone&id =41

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1629804/posts

I remember a P-3 shut down Lihue airport on the island of Kauai back in 1980 or so. Was practicing approaches when the
instructor decided to take it in for a full stop, and screech... I was flying 402's in and out of Princeville at the
time and we had a great day!

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
nk.net...
Are you married?
This is a syndrome common to the married male pilot. It usually begins on
the way home from a trip to the store where the wife of the pilot has
giving him a list of items to bring home.
The symtoms involve the car having to be waiting for a light to change
half way home ; fingers gently tapping on the top of the steering wheel;
and thoughts of a wife looking at the pilot in disbelief as she tells
him.
"I can't BELIEVE you went to the store and forgot the ONE item I REALLY
needed!"
If this has happened to you, don't worry. You're normal like the rest of
us :-)
Dudley Henriques

Like, for example, wife asks you to go to the grocery store and you return
after spending an hour and a half, two hours.... at the (Insert: hardware,
sporting goods, etc) store having never gotten to the grocery store at
all.

That's it!!! :-))
DH

Years ago, a co-pilot for a local corporation asked me to
ride-shotgun in their old C 310 on a night flight in the
local area. After ILS at KHUT and KICT with various airwork,
we setup for the final landing at KICT on 19R.
At 200 feet I asked my friend a question, like this. "I do
most of my instruction in the Duchess and Baron and they
have green lights to show the gear position, doesn't Cessna
do that?"


The gear lights were completely out. He had not looked, had
just gone by the sound and drag change when he moved the
lever. But a quick go-around solved the immediate problem
and some careful troubleshooting and wire tightening and
bulb swaps got us three green after about 30 more minutes.

The things that kill, controls locked (or rigged backward-
happens), no fuel are definite before take-off rechecks.
There aren't too many killers on landing assuming that you
have a place to land within fuel range, but landing gear up
is rarely a mechanical failure that couldn't have been
prevented by proper maintenance. If your flying a Baron or
Bonanza, the gear is operated by three steel push-pull rods
connected to a solid gear housing. If one wheel is down,
they all have to be unless the rod has become disconnected
or bent. One the bigger Beech twins, the main gear is
push-pull rods, but the nose gear is a bicycle chain, which
can break or jump the sprocket. It should be replaced and a
new sprocket used too every so often.

Good maintenance and a good pilot make retract gear safe,
either one missing and you have problems.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
link.net...
|
| "Matt Whiting" wrote in message
| ...
|
| I've been fortunate to have had three instructors
(primary, instrument and
| retractable check-out) who not only taught the above,
they gave lots of
| practice by causing distractions almost all of the time.
My instrument
| instructor was so bad that I flew virtually all training
flights with
| something "not working." The only flight that didn't
have a failed
| instrument was the final prep flight for the check ride.
I then began to
| get distracted wondering why he wasn't introducing any
distractions. It
| was eerie.
|
| Matt
|
| It sounds like you have had a rock solid learning curve
that by it's very
| definition, is ongoing, and will continue on with you as
long as you fly.
| DH
|
|

"Jim Macklin" wrote in message
news:tt4ig.28366$ZW3.15775@dukeread04...
Years ago, a co-pilot for a local corporation asked me to
ride-shotgun in their old C 310 on a night flight in the
local area. After ILS at KHUT and KICT with various airwork,
we setup for the final landing at KICT on 19R.
At 200 feet I asked my friend a question, like this. "I do
most of my instruction in the Duchess and Baron and they
have green lights to show the gear position, doesn't Cessna
do that?"


The gear lights were completely out. He had not looked, had
just gone by the sound and drag change when he moved the
lever. But a quick go-around solved the immediate problem
and some careful troubleshooting and wire tightening and
bulb swaps got us three green after about 30 more minutes.

I love this approach, and have used it several times myself when correcting
another pilot in flight.
By asking the question instead of making the statement, you saved the
airplane; corrected the problem; taught a valuable lesson that wouldn't be
soon forgotten, and lo and behold.....you even managed to save the guys
pride and keep a friend!!!! A perfect night's work if I don't say so :-)))
Dudley

Jim Macklin wrote:

Years ago, a co-pilot for a local corporation asked me to
ride-shotgun in their old C 310 on a night flight in the
local area. After ILS at KHUT and KICT with various airwork,
we setup for the final landing at KICT on 19R.
At 200 feet I asked my friend a question, like this. "I do
most of my instruction in the Duchess and Baron and they
have green lights to show the gear position, doesn't Cessna
do that?"


The gear lights were completely out. He had not looked, had
just gone by the sound and drag change when he moved the
lever. But a quick go-around solved the immediate problem
and some careful troubleshooting and wire tightening and
bulb swaps got us three green after about 30 more minutes.

The things that kill, controls locked (or rigged backward-
happens), no fuel are definite before take-off rechecks.
There aren't too many killers on landing assuming that you
have a place to land within fuel range, but landing gear up
is rarely a mechanical failure that couldn't have been
prevented by proper maintenance. If your flying a Baron or
Bonanza, the gear is operated by three steel push-pull rods
connected to a solid gear housing. If one wheel is down,
they all have to be unless the rod has become disconnected
or bent. One the bigger Beech twins, the main gear is
push-pull rods, but the nose gear is a bicycle chain, which
can break or jump the sprocket. It should be replaced and a
new sprocket used too every so often.

Good maintenance and a good pilot make retract gear safe,
either one missing and you have problems.

Retracts are pretty safe even if the gear is up. It just makes the
landing fee much, much higher. :-)


Matt

Thanks.


"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
ink.net...
|
| "Jim Macklin" wrote
in message
| news:tt4ig.28366$ZW3.15775@dukeread04...
| Years ago, a co-pilot for a local corporation asked me
to
| ride-shotgun in their old C 310 on a night flight in the
| local area. After ILS at KHUT and KICT with various
airwork,
| we setup for the final landing at KICT on 19R.
| At 200 feet I asked my friend a question, like this. "I
do
| most of my instruction in the Duchess and Baron and they
| have green lights to show the gear position, doesn't
Cessna
| do that?"
|
|
| The gear lights were completely out. He had not looked,
had
| just gone by the sound and drag change when he moved the
| lever. But a quick go-around solved the immediate
problem
| and some careful troubleshooting and wire tightening and
| bulb swaps got us three green after about 30 more
minutes.
|
| I love this approach, and have used it several times
myself when correcting
| another pilot in flight.
| By asking the question instead of making the statement,
you saved the
| airplane; corrected the problem; taught a valuable lesson
that wouldn't be
| soon forgotten, and lo and behold.....you even managed to
save the guys
| pride and keep a friend!!!! A perfect night's work if I
don't say so :-)))
| Dudley
|
|

So true.



"Matt Whiting" wrote in message
...
| Jim Macklin wrote:
|
| Years ago, a co-pilot for a local corporation asked me
to
| ride-shotgun in their old C 310 on a night flight in the
| local area. After ILS at KHUT and KICT with various
airwork,
| we setup for the final landing at KICT on 19R.
| At 200 feet I asked my friend a question, like this. "I
do
| most of my instruction in the Duchess and Baron and they
| have green lights to show the gear position, doesn't
Cessna
| do that?"
|
|
| The gear lights were completely out. He had not looked,
had
| just gone by the sound and drag change when he moved the
| lever. But a quick go-around solved the immediate
problem
| and some careful troubleshooting and wire tightening and
| bulb swaps got us three green after about 30 more
minutes.
|
| The things that kill, controls locked (or rigged
backward-
| happens), no fuel are definite before take-off rechecks.
| There aren't too many killers on landing assuming that
you
| have a place to land within fuel range, but landing gear
up
| is rarely a mechanical failure that couldn't have been
| prevented by proper maintenance. If your flying a Baron
or
| Bonanza, the gear is operated by three steel push-pull
rods
| connected to a solid gear housing. If one wheel is
down,
| they all have to be unless the rod has become
disconnected
| or bent. One the bigger Beech twins, the main gear is
| push-pull rods, but the nose gear is a bicycle chain,
which
| can break or jump the sprocket. It should be replaced
and a
| new sprocket used too every so often.
|
| Good maintenance and a good pilot make retract gear
safe,
| either one missing and you have problems.
|
| Retracts are pretty safe even if the gear is up. It just
makes the
| landing fee much, much higher. :-)
|
|
| Matt

A whole bunch of years ago down in Galveston (KGLS), Texas, one of the local
pilots was up doing T&Gs in his brand new V-Tail Bo. I was in the FBO lounge
with some other CAP Cadets listening to the radio and watching the traffic
waiting for our turn to go for an orientation hop.

I remember the Bo driver's excited voice when he called to another plane on
final to "Wave off, Go Around! Your gear is not down!" He then cut the
pattern short to fly wing tip with the guy while they did all sorts of
things to finally get the landing gear down and make a safe landing.

By now you know the punch line to this tale. Yup, the Bo driver landed with
his gear safely stowed in the wings.

Good stuff as always Dudley.

I invented my own 'cross check' in perhaps the lowest tech retract -
sailplanes. All the retract sailplanes I flew had a 2 part vent window.
I never used the sliding window in flight but used it to cross check
gear operation. The key was the 'roar' that the open window caused.
Rule was "drop & lock gear, listen for gear wind noise, open window to
drown out the noise"

Doing off field 'emergency' landings in gliders is the definition of
distracting. People, cows, geese, power lines, barb wire, ditches,
jumpers, and other sailplanes were all encountered, but the worse was
the promise of continued flight from a low altitude thermal. A 'save'
called for gear up and window closed so I can hear the audio variometer.
Losing the thermal at 500' means gear down, window open. I've been
'distracted' multiple times at 500' and performed that cross check
multiple times before saving or landing.

Then there are tow rope breaks and 'showing off' with worm burner
finishes or even touch and go's - all distractions from routine. My
rule was - can't land without window open, can't open window unless gear
down and heard. 48 off-field glider landings and various idiot
manuevers, no gear ups.

It's not whether you will be distracted, it's what you do when you are
distracted. A cross check needs to be drilled deep in your flying soul.

....But I was never meaningfully drilled on the use of a cross check
during my very limited complex experience. My instructors didn't do
what Dudley outlined and I know I'm "one of those that will" until I
drill that hole. If you don't get what Dudley is saying, you may want
to read it again. Good stuff.

Dudley Henriques wrote:


You're right, and the way to approach this issue is by realizing exactly
this, then setting up a personal regimen for a pre-landing cross-check that
is deliberately formated to be an exact final cross check procedure executed
the same way as a habit pattern every time you fly.
There are many of these axioms in use, and every pilot has his/her own
favorite. It doesn't matter which one is used, as long as it's used exactly
the same way every time you fly and at the same place in the approach every
time. This has to become an ingrained habit pattern.
My own personal cross check in ADDITION to the required regular pre-landing
checklists, and the one I taught for years to every pilot I trained was the
following; done on final.
This cross check was always said aloud and each item had to be touched and
verified as it was spoken.
"All good pilots must land fine check"
Each word was spoken individually as it was checked
All: Altimeter
Good; Gas
Pilots; Prop
Must; Mixture
Land; Landing Gear
Fine; Flaps
Check; Carb Heat (if applicable)
50 years in retracts. No wheels up landings :-)))
Dudley Henriques

In article FD6ig.16001$523.10174@trnddc07,
"Casey Wilson" N2310D @ gmail.com wrote:

By now you know the punch line to this tale. Yup, the Bo driver landed with
his gear safely stowed in the wings.

In Bonanza clinics they tell you that the most common cause of gear up
landings is a go around.