Why would one plane in this picture not have gear down yet?












5












$begingroup$


This image was posted in another question:



https://i.stack.imgur.com/zXxHL.png



I noticed that the lead twin (737?) has gear down, the 747 behind does not (appear to) have gear down, but the third plane in line (another twin) does have gear down as well.



Why would the 747 not be gear down at this point?






landing landing-gear







share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    FYIW the twin in the front is an Airbus (318-A321)
    $endgroup$
    – DeepSpace
    4 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    As for the question itself, I believe that the timing to lower the gear is part of an airline SOP. For example, some airlines dictate to lower the gear only after the aircraft is established on the glideslope (in case of an ILS landing)
    $endgroup$
    – DeepSpace
    4 hours ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    There is a 75% chance @Terry sees this meaning there is a 98% chance he has the answer and a 0.001% chance it was him flying that 747...
    $endgroup$
    – Dave
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @DeepSpace It looked like the engine nacel's were flattened on the bottom, hence my 737 guess.
    $endgroup$
    – FreeMan
    1 hour ago
















5












$begingroup$


This image was posted in another question:



https://i.stack.imgur.com/zXxHL.png



I noticed that the lead twin (737?) has gear down, the 747 behind does not (appear to) have gear down, but the third plane in line (another twin) does have gear down as well.



Why would the 747 not be gear down at this point?






landing landing-gear







share|improve this question











$endgroup$








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    FYIW the twin in the front is an Airbus (318-A321)
    $endgroup$
    – DeepSpace
    4 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    As for the question itself, I believe that the timing to lower the gear is part of an airline SOP. For example, some airlines dictate to lower the gear only after the aircraft is established on the glideslope (in case of an ILS landing)
    $endgroup$
    – DeepSpace
    4 hours ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    There is a 75% chance @Terry sees this meaning there is a 98% chance he has the answer and a 0.001% chance it was him flying that 747...
    $endgroup$
    – Dave
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @DeepSpace It looked like the engine nacel's were flattened on the bottom, hence my 737 guess.
    $endgroup$
    – FreeMan
    1 hour ago














5












5








5





$begingroup$


This image was posted in another question:



https://i.stack.imgur.com/zXxHL.png



I noticed that the lead twin (737?) has gear down, the 747 behind does not (appear to) have gear down, but the third plane in line (another twin) does have gear down as well.



Why would the 747 not be gear down at this point?






landing landing-gear







share|improve this question











$endgroup$




This image was posted in another question:



https://i.stack.imgur.com/zXxHL.png



I noticed that the lead twin (737?) has gear down, the 747 behind does not (appear to) have gear down, but the third plane in line (another twin) does have gear down as well.



Why would the 747 not be gear down at this point?






landing landing-gear




landing landing-gear






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 1 hour ago







FreeMan

















asked 4 hours ago









FreeManFreeMan

7,0731055123




7,0731055123








  • 3




    $begingroup$
    FYIW the twin in the front is an Airbus (318-A321)
    $endgroup$
    – DeepSpace
    4 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    As for the question itself, I believe that the timing to lower the gear is part of an airline SOP. For example, some airlines dictate to lower the gear only after the aircraft is established on the glideslope (in case of an ILS landing)
    $endgroup$
    – DeepSpace
    4 hours ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    There is a 75% chance @Terry sees this meaning there is a 98% chance he has the answer and a 0.001% chance it was him flying that 747...
    $endgroup$
    – Dave
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @DeepSpace It looked like the engine nacel's were flattened on the bottom, hence my 737 guess.
    $endgroup$
    – FreeMan
    1 hour ago














  • 3




    $begingroup$
    FYIW the twin in the front is an Airbus (318-A321)
    $endgroup$
    – DeepSpace
    4 hours ago












  • $begingroup$
    As for the question itself, I believe that the timing to lower the gear is part of an airline SOP. For example, some airlines dictate to lower the gear only after the aircraft is established on the glideslope (in case of an ILS landing)
    $endgroup$
    – DeepSpace
    4 hours ago






  • 4




    $begingroup$
    There is a 75% chance @Terry sees this meaning there is a 98% chance he has the answer and a 0.001% chance it was him flying that 747...
    $endgroup$
    – Dave
    3 hours ago










  • $begingroup$
    @DeepSpace It looked like the engine nacel's were flattened on the bottom, hence my 737 guess.
    $endgroup$
    – FreeMan
    1 hour ago








3




3




$begingroup$
FYIW the twin in the front is an Airbus (318-A321)
$endgroup$
– DeepSpace
4 hours ago






$begingroup$
FYIW the twin in the front is an Airbus (318-A321)
$endgroup$
– DeepSpace
4 hours ago














$begingroup$
As for the question itself, I believe that the timing to lower the gear is part of an airline SOP. For example, some airlines dictate to lower the gear only after the aircraft is established on the glideslope (in case of an ILS landing)
$endgroup$
– DeepSpace
4 hours ago




$begingroup$
As for the question itself, I believe that the timing to lower the gear is part of an airline SOP. For example, some airlines dictate to lower the gear only after the aircraft is established on the glideslope (in case of an ILS landing)
$endgroup$
– DeepSpace
4 hours ago




4




4




$begingroup$
There is a 75% chance @Terry sees this meaning there is a 98% chance he has the answer and a 0.001% chance it was him flying that 747...
$endgroup$
– Dave
3 hours ago




$begingroup$
There is a 75% chance @Terry sees this meaning there is a 98% chance he has the answer and a 0.001% chance it was him flying that 747...
$endgroup$
– Dave
3 hours ago












$begingroup$
@DeepSpace It looked like the engine nacel's were flattened on the bottom, hence my 737 guess.
$endgroup$
– FreeMan
1 hour ago




$begingroup$
@DeepSpace It looked like the engine nacel's were flattened on the bottom, hence my 737 guess.
$endgroup$
– FreeMan
1 hour ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















13












$begingroup$

Why does the 747 not have its gear down yet?



Based on the image it is hard to day how far these aircraft are from the runway. The 747 could still be be quite far from the runway and thus does not need to have its gear down yet.



The 747-400 FCOM (NP.21.47 Normal Procedures) says:




At glideslope alive, call:




  • "GEAR DOWN"

  • "FLAPS 20"




It looks like the 747 in the picture has already intercepted the glideslope, but this is hard to say from this perspective. Also, operators may have different rules for when to lower the gear.



Then why does the third aircraft already have its gear down?



The most probable reason for this is drag. A flight crew may choose to lower the gear earlier than necessary to reduce its speed. ATC could have instructed this aircraft to fly at a lower speed for spacing and the crew then dropped the gear, which adds significant drag. This is pure speculation, of course.






share|improve this answer









$endgroup$









  • 3




    $begingroup$
    I second these assumptions based on knowing the approach procedures at the airfield in question (EGLL) and some familiarity with SOPs for at least one airline/type combination pictured here.
    $endgroup$
    – Cpt Reynolds
    3 hours ago



















0












$begingroup$

Larger plane more drag on the wheels perhaps? I'm only guessing, but it would make sense to me, the larger size of the second plane would mean there was already extra drag on it compared to the smaller planes, and lowering the gear too soon might have reduced their air speed by too much.






share|improve this answer








New contributor




Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






$endgroup$













    Your Answer





    StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
    return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
    StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
    StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
    });
    });
    }, "mathjax-editing");

    StackExchange.ready(function() {
    var channelOptions = {
    tags: "".split(" "),
    id: "528"
    };
    initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

    StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
    // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
    if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
    StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
    createEditor();
    });
    }
    else {
    createEditor();
    }
    });

    function createEditor() {
    StackExchange.prepareEditor({
    heartbeatType: 'answer',
    autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
    convertImagesToLinks: false,
    noModals: true,
    showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
    reputationToPostImages: null,
    bindNavPrevention: true,
    postfix: "",
    imageUploader: {
    brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
    contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
    allowUrls: true
    },
    noCode: true, onDemand: true,
    discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
    ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
    });


    }
    });














    draft saved

    draft discarded


















    StackExchange.ready(
    function () {
    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2faviation.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f60969%2fwhy-would-one-plane-in-this-picture-not-have-gear-down-yet%23new-answer', 'question_page');
    }
    );

    Post as a guest















    Required, but never shown

























    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes








    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    13












    $begingroup$

    Why does the 747 not have its gear down yet?



    Based on the image it is hard to day how far these aircraft are from the runway. The 747 could still be be quite far from the runway and thus does not need to have its gear down yet.



    The 747-400 FCOM (NP.21.47 Normal Procedures) says:




    At glideslope alive, call:




    • "GEAR DOWN"

    • "FLAPS 20"




    It looks like the 747 in the picture has already intercepted the glideslope, but this is hard to say from this perspective. Also, operators may have different rules for when to lower the gear.



    Then why does the third aircraft already have its gear down?



    The most probable reason for this is drag. A flight crew may choose to lower the gear earlier than necessary to reduce its speed. ATC could have instructed this aircraft to fly at a lower speed for spacing and the crew then dropped the gear, which adds significant drag. This is pure speculation, of course.






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$









    • 3




      $begingroup$
      I second these assumptions based on knowing the approach procedures at the airfield in question (EGLL) and some familiarity with SOPs for at least one airline/type combination pictured here.
      $endgroup$
      – Cpt Reynolds
      3 hours ago
















    13












    $begingroup$

    Why does the 747 not have its gear down yet?



    Based on the image it is hard to day how far these aircraft are from the runway. The 747 could still be be quite far from the runway and thus does not need to have its gear down yet.



    The 747-400 FCOM (NP.21.47 Normal Procedures) says:




    At glideslope alive, call:




    • "GEAR DOWN"

    • "FLAPS 20"




    It looks like the 747 in the picture has already intercepted the glideslope, but this is hard to say from this perspective. Also, operators may have different rules for when to lower the gear.



    Then why does the third aircraft already have its gear down?



    The most probable reason for this is drag. A flight crew may choose to lower the gear earlier than necessary to reduce its speed. ATC could have instructed this aircraft to fly at a lower speed for spacing and the crew then dropped the gear, which adds significant drag. This is pure speculation, of course.






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$









    • 3




      $begingroup$
      I second these assumptions based on knowing the approach procedures at the airfield in question (EGLL) and some familiarity with SOPs for at least one airline/type combination pictured here.
      $endgroup$
      – Cpt Reynolds
      3 hours ago














    13












    13








    13





    $begingroup$

    Why does the 747 not have its gear down yet?



    Based on the image it is hard to day how far these aircraft are from the runway. The 747 could still be be quite far from the runway and thus does not need to have its gear down yet.



    The 747-400 FCOM (NP.21.47 Normal Procedures) says:




    At glideslope alive, call:




    • "GEAR DOWN"

    • "FLAPS 20"




    It looks like the 747 in the picture has already intercepted the glideslope, but this is hard to say from this perspective. Also, operators may have different rules for when to lower the gear.



    Then why does the third aircraft already have its gear down?



    The most probable reason for this is drag. A flight crew may choose to lower the gear earlier than necessary to reduce its speed. ATC could have instructed this aircraft to fly at a lower speed for spacing and the crew then dropped the gear, which adds significant drag. This is pure speculation, of course.






    share|improve this answer









    $endgroup$



    Why does the 747 not have its gear down yet?



    Based on the image it is hard to day how far these aircraft are from the runway. The 747 could still be be quite far from the runway and thus does not need to have its gear down yet.



    The 747-400 FCOM (NP.21.47 Normal Procedures) says:




    At glideslope alive, call:




    • "GEAR DOWN"

    • "FLAPS 20"




    It looks like the 747 in the picture has already intercepted the glideslope, but this is hard to say from this perspective. Also, operators may have different rules for when to lower the gear.



    Then why does the third aircraft already have its gear down?



    The most probable reason for this is drag. A flight crew may choose to lower the gear earlier than necessary to reduce its speed. ATC could have instructed this aircraft to fly at a lower speed for spacing and the crew then dropped the gear, which adds significant drag. This is pure speculation, of course.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered 4 hours ago









    BianfableBianfable

    1,053217




    1,053217








    • 3




      $begingroup$
      I second these assumptions based on knowing the approach procedures at the airfield in question (EGLL) and some familiarity with SOPs for at least one airline/type combination pictured here.
      $endgroup$
      – Cpt Reynolds
      3 hours ago














    • 3




      $begingroup$
      I second these assumptions based on knowing the approach procedures at the airfield in question (EGLL) and some familiarity with SOPs for at least one airline/type combination pictured here.
      $endgroup$
      – Cpt Reynolds
      3 hours ago








    3




    3




    $begingroup$
    I second these assumptions based on knowing the approach procedures at the airfield in question (EGLL) and some familiarity with SOPs for at least one airline/type combination pictured here.
    $endgroup$
    – Cpt Reynolds
    3 hours ago




    $begingroup$
    I second these assumptions based on knowing the approach procedures at the airfield in question (EGLL) and some familiarity with SOPs for at least one airline/type combination pictured here.
    $endgroup$
    – Cpt Reynolds
    3 hours ago











    0












    $begingroup$

    Larger plane more drag on the wheels perhaps? I'm only guessing, but it would make sense to me, the larger size of the second plane would mean there was already extra drag on it compared to the smaller planes, and lowering the gear too soon might have reduced their air speed by too much.






    share|improve this answer








    New contributor




    Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.






    $endgroup$


















      0












      $begingroup$

      Larger plane more drag on the wheels perhaps? I'm only guessing, but it would make sense to me, the larger size of the second plane would mean there was already extra drag on it compared to the smaller planes, and lowering the gear too soon might have reduced their air speed by too much.






      share|improve this answer








      New contributor




      Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






      $endgroup$
















        0












        0








        0





        $begingroup$

        Larger plane more drag on the wheels perhaps? I'm only guessing, but it would make sense to me, the larger size of the second plane would mean there was already extra drag on it compared to the smaller planes, and lowering the gear too soon might have reduced their air speed by too much.






        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.






        $endgroup$



        Larger plane more drag on the wheels perhaps? I'm only guessing, but it would make sense to me, the larger size of the second plane would mean there was already extra drag on it compared to the smaller planes, and lowering the gear too soon might have reduced their air speed by too much.







        share|improve this answer








        New contributor




        Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.









        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer






        New contributor




        Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.









        answered 57 mins ago









        AndyAndy

        11




        11




        New contributor




        Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.





        New contributor





        Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.






        Andy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.






























            draft saved

            draft discarded




















































            Thanks for contributing an answer to Aviation Stack Exchange!


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid …



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




            draft saved


            draft discarded














            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2faviation.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f60969%2fwhy-would-one-plane-in-this-picture-not-have-gear-down-yet%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown





















































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown

































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown







            -

            Popular posts from this blog

            Plaza Victoria

            Image
            Plaza Victoria Plaza Victoria en 2017 Otros nombres Plaza de La Victoria Localización El Almendral, Valparaíso, Chile Vías adyacentes Chacabuco, Molina, Plaza Victoria y Edwards Creación 1841 Metro Bellavista Ubicación 33°02′46″S 71°37′11″O  /  -33.04624167, -71.61980833 Coordenadas: 33°02′46″S 71°37′11″O  /  -33.04624167, -71.61980833 [editar datos en Wikidata] La Plaza Victoria , también llamada Plaza de la Victoria , [ 1 ] ​ es una plaza ubicada en el sector El Almendral del plan de la ciudad de Valparaíso, Chile, de importancia patrimonial, que incluye valiosas estatuas y especies vegetales. [ 2 ] ​ La plaza se creó como tal en la primera mitad del siglo XIX, tomando previamente los nombres de Plaza Nueva y Plaza de Orrego . Si bien desde sus inicios tuvo relevancia histórica, no fue sino a partir de fines de los años 1860 cuando comenzó a cobrar mayor importancia y se convirtió en uno de los principales centros sociales de l...
            Read more

            Puebla de Zaragoza

            Image
            Para otros usos de este término, véase Puebla (desambiguación). Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza Localidad De arriba a abajo de izquierda a derecha: Estrella de Puebla, Volcán Popocatépetl, Catedral de Puebla, Monumento a Ignacio Zaragoza, Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Angelópolis y Vista panorámica de la ciudad. Escudo Otros nombres: El relicario de América/ La ciudad de los Ángeles/ La Angelópolis Lema: Muy noble y muy leal ciudad de Puebla de los Ángeles Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza Localización de Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza en México Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza Localización de Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza en Puebla Mapa interactivo Coordenadas 19°03′05″N 98°13′04″O  /  19.051388888889, -98.217777777778 Coordenadas: 19°03′05″N 98°13′04″O  /  19.051388888889, -98.217777777778 Idioma oficial Español Entidad Localidad  • País   México  • Estado Puebla  • Municipio Puebla Presidente municipal Claudia Rivera Vivanc...
            Read more

            Musa

            Image
            Para el género de plantas, véase Musa (planta). Apolo y la Nueve Musas En la mitología griega, las musas (en griego antiguo μοῦσαι « mousai» ) son, según los escritores más antiguos, las divinidades inspiradoras de las Artes: cada una de ellas está relacionada con ramas artísticas y del conocimiento. Son hijas de Zeus y de Mnemósine, compañeras del séquito de Apolo, dios olímpico de la música y patrón de las bellas artes, quien tuvo romances con cada una de ellas, dejando descendientes. Bajaban a la tierra a susurrar ideas e inspirar a aquellos mortales que las invocaran. En la época más arcaica eran las ninfas inspiradoras de las fuentes, en las cuales eran adoradas. Finalmente, alrededor de los siglos VIII-VII a. C. [ 1 ] ​ prevaleció en todo el territorio de la Hélade la adoración de las nueve Musas, que son Calíope, Clío, Erato, Euterpe, Melpómene, Polimnia, Talía, Terpsícore y Urania. El culto a las musas era originalmente de Tracia y Beocia, y fueron de vital impo...
            Read more