GEAR UP LNDG.

Narrative

THE TWIN HAS A GEAR UP WARNING SYS THAT SOUNDS A HORN WHEN THE GEAR IS UP AND THE THROTTLE LEVERS ARE RETARDED BEYOND A CERTAIN POINT (ABOUT 17 INCH MANIFOLD PRESSURE AT 4000 FT). IN MY CASE I WAS FLYING WITH THE GEAR UP AT 65 KTS WHICH REQUIRES ABOUT 16 INCHES MP. COM AND SANITY ARE DIFFICULT WITH THE HORN BEEPING CONTINUOUSLY SO IT IS A FAIRLY COMMON THING TO PULL THE WARNING SYS CIRCUIT BREAKER TO SILENCE IT. THIS I DID. UPON COMPLETION OF THIS SLOW FLT PRACTICE I RETURNED TO THE ARPT FOR LNDG WHILE FORGETTING TO RESET THE BREAKER. THE AIRPLANE THAT I HAVE THE MOST RECENT TIME IN IS AN SMA AGR. IN THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF I HAVE MADE OVER 2000 LNDGS IN THE AGR. THE IN-COCKPIT LNDG CHK IN THE AGR CONSISTS OF DOING NOTHING. CARB HEAT IS ALWAYS COLD. MIXTURE IS ALWAYS RICH. THERE IS NO PROP CTL AND NO FUEL SELECTOR AND NO LNDG GEAR TO OPERATE. IN EFFECT I HAVE BEEN TRAINING MYSELF TO NOT PERFORM A PRE-LNDG CHK. NOW; NORMALLY; I DO PERFORM LNDG CHKS WHEN FLYING COMPLEX AIRPLANES. THIS TIME; HOWEVER; IT WAS NOT A NORMAL TWIN OP FOR ME. THE LNDG WAS TO BE A SPOT; SHORT FIELD LNDG JUST LIKE AN SMA AGR DOES. THERE WAS ANOTHER ACFT IN THE PATTERN IMMEDIATELY BEHIND ME SO A VERY CLOSE-IN SEMICIRCULAR BASE AND FINAL TURN WAS MADE JUST LIKE AN AGR DOES. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT I WASN'T FLYING A TWIN; I WAS FLYING AN AGR (IN MIND). I THINK THE LESSON HERE IS THAT A LNDG CHKLIST; INCLUDING A GEAR CHK; SHOULD BE MADE UPON ENTERING THE PATTERN AND AGAIN ON FINAL. THESE CHKS SHOULD BE MADE REGARDLESS OF THE SIMPLICITY OF THE ACFT'S SYS. FROM NOW ON; IT'S GOING TO BE MY POLICY TO 'OPERATE' THE GEAR ON EVERYTHING I FLY; INCLUDING FIXED GEAR TYPES.