Landing Gear

Terry

Terry

Line Up and Wait
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Terry
Hi All,

At what point in your approach is the landing gear lowered?

I was watching the jets come in at DIA a few months ago and it seems some were lowering the gear just as they came out of clouds and had the runway in sight.

It got me to wondering if they waited to final or could see the runway.

What if you are circling to land? Or in a holding pattern? Do the large jets have an "automatic" gear down control?

Thanks,

Terry :D
 
Our profile says: abeam midfield if on a visual downwind (or as needed to assist in speed control), or any time during the approach, so long as we're below Vlo and we're fully configured with checklists done by 1000AGL in IMC or 500AGL in VMC.

Basically it's whenever the pilot flying wants to put them down. Most guys throw them out when we intercept the glide slope, as the power settings for level flight with gear up and flaps 5 are about the same as a 1000 fpm decent with gear down and flaps 5. Makes for a really easy transition onto the slope.

In the heavier and faster planes, especially jets, the gear is one of the best things you have to help you slow down while still descending. With the gear up, at flight idle, we can get about 1500-1800 fpm down at 200kts. With the gear down, we can get 3500+ fpm down at 200kts, and we have a much greater ability to slow down quickly. So, if we're high and fast, we'll "dangle the Dunlops" a little early to help us get down.

Chances are you were seeing the planes right around the final approach fix...that's usually where speed restrictions are canceled and most folks start to configure. Beyond that, there's nothing automatic about gear extention. The pilot flying asks for the gear down at whatever point he thinks it's appropriate, and the other pilot physically puts it down.

There's no requirement to see the runway to put the gear down, either.

In holding, the gear is always up, unless you have a hydraulic problem or some other extenuating circumstance.

For a true circling approach, the gear will be down simply because we have to be configured by 1000 AGL, and we'll normally be circling below that. The only thing that's different about a circling approach is that we hold off on final flaps (flaps 35, if we're going to use them at all) until we're on or at least close to finishing the last turn in the circle.

So to summarize my ramblings...we usually drop the gear at glide slope intercept or a little bit earlier if we need help getting down. Other companies may be different, though.
 
At my place of employment, in IMC, gear down by 1,500 feet. In VMC, preferably by 1,000 feet but no lower than 500 feet. In practice, if not already down, gear comes down at the marker.
 
It depends on what you're flying.

Some older airplanes have a fairly slow gear down speed (older Bonanzas, for example). You probably don't want to putz along at 90 knots 3 miles out.
 
For the 172RG I fly it almost exactly as Teller describes for the bigger iron.

Only exception is gear down when holding for slower flight.

In general on an approach gear down, one notch of flaps speed 90 before the FAF so all you have to do from that point is fly the approach and look for the runway.
 
Teller1900 said:
So to summarize my ramblings...we usually drop the gear at glide slope intercept or a little bit earlier if we need help getting down. Other companies may be different, though.
Click to expand...
That's basically what we do too. Gear down a dot or two before GS intercept on a precision approach and a mile or two before the FAF on a non-precision approach depending on the approach and how hard it's going to be to get down and slow down at the same time. On a visual approach with a pattern I usually put the gear down abeam the numbers just like I did in smaller planes unless we are really high in which case I do it earlier.
 
I use 'gear down, go down'. Either the FAF or abeam touchdown on downwind. Gear speed on my old Mooney F is 120 mph so not much good as speed brakes. Farther out if there is slow traffic on front.
 
In the Cardinal RG I put my gear down at glide slope intercept on an ILS approach. I would slow to an approach speed of 100 kts with 10 flaps prior to intercepting the localizer. Then putting the gear down at glide slope interecpt would give me the decsent rate that I wanted without a change in power setting. I would maintain 100 kts until runway in sight or missed approach.

On a visual approach gear down when abeam the numbers.

Jean
 
When I was flying a plane with retract gear it was pretty much like what Teller said. Add to that what said and you have what I would do.
 
At final on an instrument approach.

Abeam the touchdown point on a pattern approach.

I do what I'm taught!
 
Teller1900 said:
So to summarize my ramblings...we usually drop the gear at glide slope intercept or a little bit earlier if we need help getting down. Other companies may be different, though.
Click to expand...

Works for the Mooney. 15" clean to the FAF gives 90kts give or take, at the FAF, drop gear, put in takeoff flaps, and you will go right down the GS without having to touch the power.

VMC, 15" clean downwind to the numbers, gear down, takeoff flaps until the turn to final, then full flaps, throttle and trim to get 65kts over the fence.
 
For me, on an IFR approach, the latest the gear goes down is the FAF, earlier if I need a good descent rate. For VFR midfield downwind works on a standard pattern but I'll always put the gear down before descending below pattern altitude which covers straight in on final arrivals as well as base leg entries.
 
My company manual required gear down and in the landing config outside the marker and everything stabilized for the approach. In VMC, or non-precision app. above 1000 ft. I've pretty much stuck with those rules.
 
Glideslope intercept when on a precision approach. On a non-precision approach I'll probably drop the gear at the start of the final segment prior to the MAP. When VFR I typically drop the gear when making my final descent to pattern altitude.
 
IFR: when 90 degrees to the fix they gear comes down. Slows down the plane to a perfect 90 kts.

VFR: When on downwind abeam midfield
 
What most everyone else has said. Generally as the glide slope is coming in on a precision approach I put down the gear, and by the FAF on non-precision. Depending on the approach it'll get done sooner if I need the gear to get down faster. Then I'll normally shoot the approach at 5-10 kts below Vle.

On VFR approach, I'll do it somewhere on downwind or before pattern altitude on my descent.

And then I'll check to make sure the gear is down about 25 times after I put it down to make sure it's still down. :)
 
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