AN A300 CREW; WHILE DEPARTING EWR; EXPERIENCED A DISTRACTING GEAR PROB WHICH RESULTED IN COURSE AND ALTDEVS.

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FO WAS PF. AFTER TKOF IN STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS; FO CALLED FOR GEAR UP. I SELECTED GEAR UP AND HANDLE WOULD ONLY MOVE TO MID OR NEUTRAL POS WITH AN UNSAFE OR NOT IN POS SELECTED RED LIGHT. I RECYCLED GEAR HANDLE WITH SAME RESULT. MY IMMEDIATE REACTION WAS TO VISUALIZE THE GEAR BYPASS FLAG FROM GUIDE MAN AFTER PUSHBACK AND I WAS QUITE CERTAIN THAT WAS VERIFIED. I THEN LOOKED UP TO OVERHEAD PANEL FOR AUX GEAR POS INDICATORS -- PROBABLY BECAUSE I HAD A NOSE GEAR NOT DOWN CONDITION THE NIGHT BEFORE IN SJU. AS I ASKED DEP CTL FOR A STRAIGHT AHEAD AND LEVELOFF OF 3000 FT TO WORK OUT A PROB; I LOOKED DOWN TO THE POS DETECTION SYS SELECT SWITCH AND MOVED IT TO THE OPPOSITE OR #1 POS. I WAS THEN ABLE TO RETRACT THE GEAR. IT WAS EXTREMELY LOUD IN THE COCKPIT AS THE RECIRCULATION FANS WERE UNUSUALLY NOISY AND WE WERE GETTING ROCKED BY THE TURB. THE FO HEARD THE REQUEST FOR 3000 FT AND IN THE NOISE AND CONFUSION WAS CLBING THROUGH THE LIMIT OF 2500 FT TO ABOUT 2800 FT AND PROBABLY 1 MI PAST THE 4 DME TURN POINT WHEN HE HEARD THE CTLR ASKED WHERE WE WERE GOING. I DID NOT HEAR THAT QUESTION BUT STATED TO THE CTLR THAT WE WERE OK AND COULD TAKE TURN OR ALT ASSIGNMENT AS OUR SIT WAS NOW SOLVED. HE STATED THAT HE DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD A PROB BUT TO TURN TO 210 DEGS TO INTERCEPT THE CYN 350 DEG RADIAL INBOUND ON COURSE. NO MORE WAS EXCHANGED AS WE CONTINUED ON COURSE.