SMA PLT HAS TROUBLE CONTACTING TWR. SIGHTS TFC CLOSE AHEAD ON APCH. TWR ISSUES GAR. ON SECOND APCH RPTR FAILS TO EXTEND GEAR. LCL CTLR ISSUES A SECOND GAR. THIRD TRY WORKS. LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE PART OF THE PROB.

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INBOUND TO THE ARPT FROM THE E; TWR TOLD ME TO RPT ON 2 MI BASE FOR RWY 1R. RADIO TFC WAS HVY AND I WAS UNABLE TO RPT ON 2 MI BASE UNTIL TURNING TO FINAL; 2 MI OUT. I RPTED THAT I WAS 2 MI OUT; TURNING ON FINAL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER; DURING DSCNT; I SAW TFC INBOUND TO LAND ABOUT 1/2 MI AHEAD. TWR TOLD ME TO MAINTAIN RWY HEADING AND GAR. I COMPLIED WHILE 'CLEANING UP' MY PLANE (FULL PWR; FLAPS UP; GEAR UP; SPD BRAKES OFF AND COWL FLAPS OPEN) AND CLBED TO PATTERN ALT. AFTER TURNING TO R DOWNWIND AND MAINTAINING VIGILANCE FOR TFC; I PREPARED FOR ANOTHER DSCNT TO LAND. TWR CLRED ME TO LAND. I DSNDED ON FINAL AND; WHILE ALMOST READY TO TOUCH DOWN; TWR URGENTLY TOLD ME THAT MY LNDG GEAR WAS STILL UP. I QUICKLY WENT TO FULL PWR AND CLBED OUT. TWR HAD ME GAR TO CHK THAT MY LNDG GEAR WAS OPERATING PROPERLY; WHICH IT WAS. I WAS THEN CLRED TO LAND. I MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AND TAXIED IN TO MY DEST. ANALYSIS: IN THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS; I HAD FLOWN VERY LITTLE AND HAD NOT UTILIZED A BUSY TWR CTLED ARPT. WHEN PREPARING FOR THE SECOND LNDG ATTEMPT; I WAS HURRIED AND DISTRACTED AND INADVERTENTLY NEGLECTED TO LOWER THE LNDG GEAR. ADDITIONALLY; MY PLANE'S GEAR UP ALARM FAILED TO ACTIVATE AND GIVE ME WARNING. BEFORE FURTHER FLT; I WILL TAKE DUAL INSTRUCTION WITH AN INSTRUCTOR TO REGAIN NECESSARY COCKPIT DISCIPLINE. THIS DISCIPLINE SHALL INCLUDE FREQUENT CHKS OF THE PLANE'S GEAR UP ALARM AND ANY NEEDED MAINT.