Pilot's tip of the week

When To Put The Landing Gear Down

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Subscriber question:

 "When should you put the gear down on a retractable gear airplane?" - Bob W.

Bob:

Gear Down“I prefer and have always taught students to extend the landing gear before downwind entry. This slows the aircraft and allows trimming for the gear down condition, as well as allowing a slower speed for purposes of blending with other traffic. I say this assuming a VFR flight.

On an IFR flight, assuming an instrument approach is being performed, it is best to extend the gear at glideslope intercept for a precision approach or at the final approach fix on a non-precision approach. Doing so will help you set up a stabilized approach.”

(NEW) VFR Mastery scenario #93 “Orphan of the Magenta Line” is now available. Skirting the DC SFRA and Philadelphia Bravo with your iPad seemed simple, until that iPad displayed a low battery warning. You realize your charger has been dead the entire flight. You stop the music on your phone and check its battery … 2%. So much for redundancy. You’re just southeast of the SFRA, threading between restricted areas. You’ve flown this route before, so maybe you can make a plan to navigate with the limited juice you have left along with ATC assistance. Or is it smarter to land and recharge? Watch the Intro video.

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