Pilot's tip of the week

When to Raise the Gear?

Subscriber question:

"I've flown with two different instructors in my Piper Arrow. One says to retract the landing gear as soon as a positive rate of climb is established. The other says to retract the gear once I'm out of usable runway. Which is the better technique?" —Dean R.

When do you raise the landing gear?

(NEW) IFR Mastery scenario #191 “The Minimums at Meadville” is now available. After a lumpy trip in IMC, you discover the destination weather is worse than predicted. Your planned approach is now an iffy choice, and the other options all have their drawbacks. Any of the approaches theoretically work on paper. The question is: Which will you try first in practice? Watch the Intro video.

Get the Pilot’s Tip of the Week

Sign up here to receive tips like this every week along with videos, quizzes and more.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.