Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I had an opportunity to fly this C-172RG the other day, and something out of the ordinary happened.  I’m sure you’ve guessed it, by the title of today’s episode.  To find out how it all turned out, listen to today’s podcast.

img_4406

 

The area that ended up needing attention was a wiring plug behind that right side cowling near the firewall.  The plug was for the nosegear squat switch wiring and it had a poor connection.  After tightening up the connections in that plug and applying some Corrosion-X, everything worked fine after that.

It was a reminder that one little electrical connection can make all the difference in the world.

 

After this experience, I thought of a few items that might be good for us to consider, any time we are flying a retractable gear airplane:

  1.  Review the landing gear emergency procedures in the flight manual or POH.  It’s really important to be very familiar with these procedures… if the gear does not come down, it’s usually a surprise, and that’s a bad time to get familiar with an emergency procedure… it’s much better to be prepared in advance.
  2. Practice these emergency gear procedures in flight, if possible.  This may not be practical with all airplanes, but for many, it is.  And it’s good to know how it all works in real life, than just to read about it in the POH.
  3. Be sure the emergency gear extension placards are in place and readable.  (Confirm the required placards at the end of the Limitations chapter in the flight manual or POH.
  4. After that, if you have any remaining questions, sit down with a mechanic or another pilot and learn more about how the landing gear system works, including any emergency procedures.
  5. And one last tip for Cessna single engine retractable gear airplanes:  Buy the mirror panel that replaces one of the wing inspection panels.  Then, you can have a visual confirmation that all 3 gear are really down… this is especially important since many of these airplanes only have one green, gear down light.

Retractable gear airplanes are fascinating machines, and if the landing gear systems are well-maintained and adjusted properly, they are quite reliable.

But, it’s always good to be prepared for the unexpected!

Thanks everyone!

P.S.  I sure would appreciate if you could leave a rating and review in iTunes for the podcast… just go to the iTunes store, and search for either “Airplane Owner Maintenance,” or “Dean Showalter,” then click on the podcast picture, then click on ratings and reviews.  You can leave a star rating, and also write a review… if you leave your real name and any other information, like a website, I will most likely give you a shout out at some point in a future episode.  Thanks so much!