A PA-44 PILOT NOTICED A GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT ON IN CRUISE FLIGHT. ATC DECLARED AN EMERGENCY FOR HIM AND HE WAS ABLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR USING THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING FROM ZZZ TO ZZZ1 ON AN IFR FLT PLAN. UPON REACHING CRUISE AT 12000 FT THE GEAR UNSAFE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER TROUBLESHOOTING PER THE POH; AND ATTEMPTING AN EXTENSION UNDER VLO THE LNDG GEAR DID NOT COME DOWN. I INFORMED CTR OF THE ISSUE AND STATED I DID NOT WANT TO DECLARE AN EMER UNLESS WE WERE UNABLE TO EXTEND THE GEAR UTILIZING THE SECONDARY FREE FALL GEAR EXTENSION. CTR ADVISED THAT WAS FINE AND WILL BE NOTIFYING THE AIRSPACES WE WILL BE FLYING THROUGH. UPON GETTING ON WITH ZZZ1 APCH I WAS ASKED FOR FUEL AND SOULS ABOARD AND TOLD EMER VEHICLES WOULD BE STANDING BY. AT THIS POINT I HAD NOT FORMALLY DECLARED AN EMER SINCE WE WERE NOT QUITE IN RANGE FOR THE GEAR DOWN CHKLIST; I THANKED THEM THOUGH FOR THE SUPPORT AND CONTINUED ON HAVING ATC DECLARED THE EMER BEFORE ME. IN OUR EXTENDED STRAIGHT IN; I PULLED THE EMER GEAR EXTENSION AND ALL 3 LOCKED INTO PLACE. AT THE TIME I WAS A BIT UPSET BY THE OVER HANDLING OF A SITUATION WHICH HAD NOT FULLY DEVELOPED INTO WHAT I WOULD CALL AN 'EMER' YET; BUT UPON LNDG I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT AN EMER IS A SITUATION THAT ARISES THAT IS CONTRARY TO NORMAL OP AND THUS SHOULD HAVE DECLARED AN EMER ORIGINALLY WHEN THE GEAR DID NOT COME DOWN WITH THE PROPER OP. NOT TO MENTION 'EMER GEAR EXTENSION' MIGHT BE A BIT BLINDING AS TO THE NEED FOR A DECLARATION SEEING AS THE WORD IS IN THE NEEDED HARDWARE.