Prevent Gear Up Landings
There is that old saying about gear up landings; "There are those that have and those that will".
Pictured above was one of last years projects by a pilot who shall remain nameless. It is an example of not doing a proper landing checklist. By that I mean -GEAR- Gear what? Up/Down/Move the handle. The picture above was the result of the later.
It is very easy to get complacent and give checklists lip service. With students I see this constantly, it is a breakable habit, but has a tendency to come back after many years of flying.
I recommend a gear check before entering the pattern when you do your landing checklist, downwind mid-field, base and lastly final. A quick check to make sure the handle is pointing at the correct sticker is sufficient.
The LX has a gear warning built-in, In-case you need a reason to justify the purchase...
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Step 1: Do something embarrassing
Step 2: Grind away all broken material
Step 3: Replace material
Step 4: Reshape
Step 5: Apply Prestec top coat
(sounds easy enough)
Garret Willat holds a flight instructor rating with over 8000 hours in sailplanes. His parents have owned Sky Sailing Inc. since 1979. He started instructing the day after his 18th birthday. Since then, Garret has represented the US Junior team in 2003 and 2005. He graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics. Garret represented the US Open Class team in 2008 and 2010 and the Club Class team in 2014. Garret has won 3 US National Championships.
