Gears, Flaps, and the Pilot's Bill of Rights 2

I take issue with the suggestion that it is generally a good idea to retract the landing gear before retracting the flaps to a mid/approach setting. There are a lot of pilots who are going to find that getting medical clearance to fly will be harder, not easier, under this proposed law. My fear is that the process will be foisted back on AMEs without liability protections nor the ability to order tests to verify fitness without a patient/physician relationship.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A discussion on rejected landings highlights the debate over retracting flaps before landing gear during a go-around, with general recommendations favoring flap retraction first due to drag, but acknowledging slower gear retraction times and workload as complicating factors.
A reader expresses strong concerns that the proposed PBOR2 medical law will significantly complicate medical clearance for pilots, create administrative burdens and liability issues for Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs), and questions the suitability of sport pilot medical rules as a comparative example.
The editor clarifies that data suggest the *absence of a medical certificate requirement* for sport pilots has not increased accident rates, distinguishing this from the overall accident rate for light sport aircraft.

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I found “Landing Re-Dos” (January 2016) to be an excellent review of rejected landings. However, I take issue with the suggestion that it is generally a good idea to retract the landing gear before retracting the flaps to a mid/approach setting. According to the FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook and unless otherwise specified in the POH, it is generally recommended that, after applying maximum allowable takeoff power and adjusting pitch attitude, the flaps should be partially retracted before retracting the landing gear. This is required because, in most airplanes, full flaps produce significantly more drag than the landing gear. Also, in the event the airplane inadvertently touches down as the rejected landing is commenced, you obviously want the gear down and locked, and should not consider otherwise until a positive rate of climb is established.

Philip C. Segal
via email