Gear warnings

I have paid out of my pocket for several gear up landings by renter
pilots. I know they have the best intent. Rather than require more
insurance, I would prefer a better warning system.
Since I can not hear most warning horns (old ears) I would like to
have a stick vibrator, ( maybe that is off the shelf) a big flashing
light or an explosion. My wallet hurts, and teaching USTALL doesn't
seem to work.
Of all the students I have personally taught, I am the first...Yea,
Me. I landed on the belly while my passenger was having a panic
attack. Maybe the explosion would have gotten my attention.
For me, this is a serious request. Air brake handle markers have been
tried, but the renter pilot seems to forget to install them.
Please also tell me how to get my instructors to teach traffic
scanning. A friend and I had to take a shower and clean up both seats
yesterday. Four eyes, both activically scanning, gave a brief moment
that allowed a close encounter rather than planting a lot of glass
below.
They are very nice people and I love them, so maybe some words to me
would help keep my friends and me both flying.
Fred R.

Two thoughts.

Stick shakers can be made with the little vibrator motors from cell phones
or pagers. They come in a wide range of sizes. Electronic parts suppliers
sell them for a few dollars.

The other thought is from a guy I knew who rented Mooneys and, like you,
suffered from renter pilots who forget the rollers. His solution was to add
skids to the belly. The engine and prop still suffered but the airframe
didn't so he could get the airplane back on revenue status in a few days.

Adding a light, tough HMWPE plastic skid to a glider would save the
fiberglass. Sacrificing $10 worth of HMWPE is better than $4000 worth of
gelcoat and fiberglass and replacing it would be an hour job. A skid two
inches wide and .5" thick should do the job and it wouldn't weigh more than
a couple of pounds.

Bill D


"fred" wrote in message
...
I have paid out of my pocket for several gear up landings by renter
pilots. I know they have the best intent. Rather than require more
insurance, I would prefer a better warning system.
Since I can not hear most warning horns (old ears) I would like to
have a stick vibrator, ( maybe that is off the shelf) a big flashing
light or an explosion. My wallet hurts, and teaching USTALL doesn't
seem to work.
Of all the students I have personally taught, I am the first...Yea,
Me. I landed on the belly while my passenger was having a panic
attack. Maybe the explosion would have gotten my attention.
For me, this is a serious request. Air brake handle markers have been
tried, but the renter pilot seems to forget to install them.
Please also tell me how to get my instructors to teach traffic
scanning. A friend and I had to take a shower and clean up both seats
yesterday. Four eyes, both activically scanning, gave a brief moment
that allowed a close encounter rather than planting a lot of glass
below.
They are very nice people and I love them, so maybe some words to me
would help keep my friends and me both flying.
Fred R.

Fred,

Simply replace your current horn with an inexpensive Radio Shack
pizo-crystal buzzer. If you can hear you home smoke detector you will hear
the gear warning. Hopefully you will not get confused and think your glider
is on fire.

Wayne
flying a pizo-crystal buzzer equipped HP-14
http://www.soaridaho.com



"fred" wrote in message
...
I have paid out of my pocket for several gear up landings by renter
pilots. I know they have the best intent. Rather than require more
insurance, I would prefer a better warning system.
Since I can not hear most warning horns (old ears) I would like to
have a stick vibrator, ( maybe that is off the shelf) a big flashing
light or an explosion. My wallet hurts, and teaching USTALL doesn't
seem to work.
Of all the students I have personally taught, I am the first...Yea,
Me. I landed on the belly while my passenger was having a panic
attack. Maybe the explosion would have gotten my attention.
For me, this is a serious request. Air brake handle markers have been
tried, but the renter pilot seems to forget to install them.
Please also tell me how to get my instructors to teach traffic
scanning. A friend and I had to take a shower and clean up both seats
yesterday. Four eyes, both activically scanning, gave a brief moment
that allowed a close encounter rather than planting a lot of glass
below.
They are very nice people and I love them, so maybe some words to me
would help keep my friends and me both flying.
Fred R.

On Nov 19, 10:58 pm, "Wayne Paul" wrote:
Fred,

Simply replace your current horn with an inexpensive Radio Shack
pizo-crystal buzzer. If you can hear you home smoke detector you will hear
the gear warning. Hopefully you will not get confused and think your glider
is on fire.

Wayne
flying a pizo-crystal buzzer equipped HP-14http://www.soaridaho.com

"fred" wrote in message

...



I have paid out of my pocket for several gear up landings by renter
pilots. I know they have the best intent. Rather than require more
insurance, I would prefer a better warning system.
Since I can not hear most warning horns (old ears) I would like to
have a stick vibrator, ( maybe that is off the shelf) a big flashing
light or an explosion. My wallet hurts, and teaching USTALL doesn't
seem to work.
Of all the students I have personally taught, I am the first...Yea,
Me. I landed on the belly while my passenger was having a panic
attack. Maybe the explosion would have gotten my attention.
For me, this is a serious request. Air brake handle markers have been
tried, but the renter pilot seems to forget to install them.
Please also tell me how to get my instructors to teach traffic
scanning. A friend and I had to take a shower and clean up both seats
yesterday. Four eyes, both activically scanning, gave a brief moment
that allowed a close encounter rather than planting a lot of glass
below.
They are very nice people and I love them, so maybe some words to me
would help keep my friends and me both flying.
Fred R.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Fred,

Maybe you can't hear your "horm" because it's not working. If your
renters are landing gear up, they're not hearing it either. Something
is failing somewhere, and it's probably not your hearing. Maybe it's
just not the best implementation of a warning system.

As Wayne mentioned, those little piezo buzzers from Radio Shack are
very obnoxious and loud. I'm sure you would hear it, especially if it
was mounted right behind your head. A simple ciruit with two
microswitches and a buzzer is very inexpensive and easy to do. Landing
gear switch closed when gear is up, spoiler switch open when spoilers
are closed. As long as the switch mounts are sturdy, it should be
practically bullet-proof, other than a power system failure.

If you can hear you home smoke detector you will hear
the gear warning.

I can't stand being in one room with one of those (I guess that's the
purpose of a smoke detector ;-)). In a small cockpit and under a
canopy the noise level would be high enough to make me a much worse
pilot than I usually am. Close to the ground, this may be fatal.

Bartek

I didn't like the squealers either - they sound too much like vario beeps.
I have a tiny electric noisemaker that emits a ominous 'growl' that doesn't
sound like anything else in the cockpit.

I also use GPS_LOG on my PDA which speaks "check gear" whenever I'm within
pattern altitude of terrain. (I know it wouldn't work for you ridge runners
but out west, we have better lift.)

Bill D


"brtlmj" wrote in message
...
If you can hear you home smoke detector you will hear
the gear warning.

I can't stand being in one room with one of those (I guess that's the
purpose of a smoke detector ;-)). In a small cockpit and under a
canopy the noise level would be high enough to make me a much worse
pilot than I usually am. Close to the ground, this may be fatal.

Bartek

"brtlmj" wrote in message
...
If you can hear you home smoke detector you will hear
the gear warning.

I can't stand being in one room with one of those (I guess that's the
purpose of a smoke detector ;-)). In a small cockpit and under a
canopy the noise level would be high enough to make me a much worse
pilot than I usually am. Close to the ground, this may be fatal.


Bartek

My piezo buzzer is located in a box surrounded by foam. It is still loud.
As mentioned in my original post, I fly a HP-14 which uses 90 degree flaps
for glide slope control. The buzzer is actuated when ever the flaps setting
is greater then 20 degrees and the gear is up. Normally I start adding
flaps on the down wind and turn base with at least 30 degrees of flap. The
couple of times it has sounded in flight were both on the down wind.

This configuration using piezo sound attenuation on a "flaps-only" sailplane
works well.

Wayne
HP-14 "6F"
http://www.soaridaho.com/Schreder

On Nov 19, 7:40 pm, fred wrote:
Since I can not hear most warning horns (old ears) I would like to
have a stick vibrator, ( maybe that is off the shelf) a big flashing
light or an explosion. My wallet hurts, and teaching USTALL doesn't
seem to work.

If you want a light, just hook up a panel mounted 12 volt LED
(available for a couple bucks at any electronics store) in parallel to
your horn. That way you have both a horn and a light.

Hi,

I really like the TB32 Echo Recorded Sound Alarm (digital voice playback)
option from Tasman. You record someone saying something like "Lower the
gear NOW" into the little box and then wire it into your gear warning
system. It is extremely easy to setup and use. I have heard of some
operators recording messages such as "Lower the F****** Gear!". That's not
my style, but I imagine it gets the attention of the pilot and is therefore
very effective. You can see details he
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/tasman.htm#TB32

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"raulb" wrote in message
...
On Nov 19, 7:40 pm, fred wrote:
Since I can not hear most warning horns (old ears) I would like to
have a stick vibrator, ( maybe that is off the shelf) a big flashing
light or an explosion. My wallet hurts, and teaching USTALL doesn't
seem to work.

If you want a light, just hook up a panel mounted 12 volt LED
(available for a couple bucks at any electronics store) in parallel to
your horn. That way you have both a horn and a light.

On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:19:46 +0000, Paul Remde wrote:


I really like the TB32 Echo Recorded Sound Alarm (digital voice
playback) option from Tasman. You record someone saying something like
"Lower the gear NOW" into the little box and then wire it into your gear
warning system. It is extremely easy to setup and use. I have heard of
some operators recording messages such as "Lower the F****** Gear!".

Picture the situation. You are in climbing in wave, approaching the ceiling
of the available airspace. You get on the radio, talk nicely to the Air
Traffic Controller and ask for clearance to climb. The good man reads out
squawk codes, barometric sub scale and everything else he can conjure up to
confuse you, then tells you to "stand by". So you carefully recite all
the numbers back to him and at the same time as you deploy the airbrakes to
avoid climbing into the not yet available airspace ...

Damn gear warning!

Ian