"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.
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When do you raise the landing gear?
(NEW) VFR Mastery scenario #97 “Keeping Your Cool at Hot Springs” is now available. Two years ago, you bought a 172M with a 180 HP conversion a bit past TBO. After 100 hours you decided to overhaul, and added an engine monitor. That revealed consistently high CHTs, often hitting 430°F in the climb. Today you’re at Hot Springs, SD, with the family. It’s 85°F with density altitude near 6000′. You know that if you lean for best power the engine will get super hot. Maybe that’s fine for a short time. Or maybe keeping things cool matters more, and a full rich takeoff is safer as long as performance is adequate. Or is there a middle ground? If you wait for cooler weather, it’ll be awhile. Watch the Intro video.