JJ Sinclair wrote:
....
PS, I have seen a pilot retract the gear when asked to do a control
check.........it can happen!

Interesting, thanks for that detail. I've always wondered if it's possible to retract the gear
with weight on the wheel - that is, on the ground. One'd think it possible to design an over-center
mechanism that would make that impossible, or at least *really* hard to do.
But it is experiment I've never been willing to try.

Sarah