Comments on: Emergency Landing Gear Extension - Keep It Simple http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2008/05/03/emergency-landing-gear-extension-keep-it-simple/ General Aviation and Aviation In General Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:48:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: PlasticPilot http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2008/05/03/emergency-landing-gear-extension-keep-it-simple/#comment-2826 PlasticPilot Mon, 05 May 2008 18:53:24 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2008/05/03/emergency-landing-gear-extension-keep-it-simple/#comment-2826 Thank you Jess for this complement. I never liked the look of the Cessna system either. On the plus side however, the visual check is much easier, thanks to high-wing. There is a third thing that gets hurt in a belly landing: pilot's ego. I'm still part of the club of pilots who never landed gear up, waiting for my admission in the other club... Thank you Jess for this complement. I never liked the look of the Cessna system either. On the plus side however, the visual check is much easier, thanks to high-wing.

There is a third thing that gets hurt in a belly landing: pilot’s ego. I’m still part of the club of pilots who never landed gear up, waiting for my admission in the other club…

]]> By: Jess Sightler http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2008/05/03/emergency-landing-gear-extension-keep-it-simple/#comment-2738 Jess Sightler Sat, 03 May 2008 23:41:28 +0000 http://www.plasticpilot.net/blog/2008/05/03/emergency-landing-gear-extension-keep-it-simple/#comment-2738 I like the old Mooney system. It was a johnson bar, similar to the flap handle on the Piper's and was pure mechanical. From what I hear it did take a bit of getting used to, but they almost never break (low maintenance costs) and you never have to worry about a failure causing trouble in the air. The worst is on the Cessna high wing retractables (172RG, 182RG, etc). They are hydraulic, but they will not fall into place on their own due to the nature of retracts on a high-wing aircraft. The backup hydraulic system is close to useless as well from what I understand. In most cases manual extension just doesn't work at all (thus all the videos of Cessna's landing with the rear gear flopping), though I have heard of some creative souls getting them to extend by hanging out of the aircraft with a golf club. Of course, the most interesting thing to me is still the misconception among non-pilots that a gear up landing is a major near death experience. Most of the time all that gets hurt is an airplane belly and a wallet. :) I like the old Mooney system. It was a johnson bar, similar to the flap handle on the Piper’s and was pure mechanical. From what I hear it did take a bit of getting used to, but they almost never break (low maintenance costs) and you never have to worry about a failure causing trouble in the air.

The worst is on the Cessna high wing retractables (172RG, 182RG, etc). They are hydraulic, but they will not fall into place on their own due to the nature of retracts on a high-wing aircraft. The backup hydraulic system is close to useless as well from what I understand. In most cases manual extension just doesn’t work at all (thus all the videos of Cessna’s landing with the rear gear flopping), though I have heard of some creative souls getting them to extend by hanging out of the aircraft with a golf club.

Of course, the most interesting thing to me is still the misconception among non-pilots that a gear up landing is a major near death experience. Most of the time all that gets hurt is an airplane belly and a wallet. :)

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