By Thomas P. Turner

There are those who have, and those who will. If you’ve even thought about checking out in a retractable-gear airplane you’ve probably heard this glib saying about gear-up landings.

The accident record dramatically reinforces the unfortunate fact that about half of all mishaps in retractable-gear airplanes involve the landing gear. It’s no wonder some people consider landing gear-related mishaps an inevitable part of flying retractable-gear airplanes. …