PVT PLT OF AN EXPERIMENTAL VELOCITY RG WAS ADVISED BY THE TWR ON SHORT FINAL THAT THE GEAR DID NOT APPEAR DOWN AND WAS FURTHER ADVISED TO GAR. RPTR LEFT THE PATTERN; OVERCAME THE PROB AND SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED SAFELY BACK AT HWV. GON TWR HAD NOTIFIED SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR THIS RPTR; WHICH WAS LATER CANCELED UPON RPTR ARR AND LNDG.

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AFTER RECEIVING A CLRNC TO ENTER A L DOWNWIND FOR RWY 33; I CYCLED THE GEAR DOWN. THE ORANGE LIGHT (INDICATING HYD PUMP ACTION) CAME ON AND REMAINED LIT. NO CIRCUIT BREAKERS HAD POPPED. I ACTUATED A SPD BRAKE AND RECYCLED THE GEAR SWITCH. THIS RESULTED IN A 'GREEN' INDICATION; AND AN APPARENT DECREASE IN AIRSPD (TYPICAL WHEN ASSUMING LNDG CONFIGN). ON FINAL; AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL; THE TWR INFORMED ME THAT THE GEAR SEEMED TO BE STILL RETRACTED; AND ADVISED A GAR. I ROGERED THAT; RPTED A GAR; AND INITIATED A CLBOUT ON RWY HEADING. TWR ASKED IF I'D BEEN SHOWING 'GREEN;' AND IF I WANTED TO TRY ANOTHER APCH. I DECLINED AND RPTED TURING A L XWIND; INDICATING THAT I'D BE DEPARTING THE PATTERN TO THE S. TWR ADVISED TO WATCH FOR TFC LOW AND TO THE L OF MY POS. THEY THEN REQUESTED THAT I CALL THEM AFTER LNDG. AFTER CYCLING THE DUMP VALVE (AND SWITCH); THE GEAR APPEARED TO BE OPERATING NORMALLY; AND THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY A FLY-BY AT HWV PRIOR TO LNDG THERE. POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED A LOW HYD FLUID LEVEL. UPON CALLING GROTON TWR; THE CTLR SAID HE'D ALERTED SEARCH AND RESCUE; BUT THAT HE WOULD NOW CALL THEM AND TELL THEM I WAS OK. I THOUGHT THIS ODD; AS I NEVER DECLARED AN EMER OR RECEIVED PRIORITY HANDLING. I ONLY WANTED TO EXIT GROTON'S CONGESTED AIRSPACE SO THAT I COULD CHK OUT THE PROB. IN RETROSPECT; I THINK A CHK OF HYD FLUID LEVEL SHOULD BE PART OF EVERY PREFLT.