wrote:
RR....turning this event into a learning tool....why was it best to
leave the gear down?
I have read IIRC (asw-24 or 27 POH) that the clean, curved belly creates an
immediate low-pressure water flow which can cause a severe "submarine" effect.

The gear breaks up that flow.

If memory serves again, back in the 80's Travelers Insurance was filming a
commercial that included a glider.
The idea at the time was to film a sailplane skimming just inches over a
still lake.
One pilot skimmed a little too low and made contact with the water. The
resulting low pressure tore a strip of the fuselage off just beneath the
pilot.
A later effort with another pilot and plane proved successful and the
commercial aired for a while.
It was kinda cool.

We are so relieved you guys are O K.

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