A Surprise Test Flight With A Real Audio Gear Warning System

Your can read all the glowing flight reports you want about how it is suppose to work, but when this little jewel does its thing in real life... Well, take a minute to read this first-hand account!

By Coy Jacob

Even though I have penned several articles both here (for MOA) and in Aviation Consumer Magazine on this subject, and even helped install several units, I confess I hadn’t really flown a Mooney with an auxiliary audio gear warning system that caught me off-guard until just recently.

Our shop (Mooney Mart) was in the process of delivering a Mooney to an experienced pilot when the subject came up about his extensive time in fixed gear aircraft when the fact came out that this was his first retract.  I suggested he consider installing a P-2 Audio Gear Warning System or an Aircraft Components Inc. Gear Alert.  He followed my advice and ordered one installed.  While both units work and work exceedingly well, both use different methodology to detect a pending Gear-Up situation.  The P2 works of of airspeed while the Gear Alert uses a microwave type transmitter to sense the height off of the approaching ground.  This time this client eventually settled in on a P2 audio alert system.     

Now comes the fun.  Frankly, in my job doing maintenance test flights and deliveries, I fly many different Mooneys on a regular basis.  This time I actually forgot the audio advisory system was in his aircraft when along with another experienced Mooney CFII sitting shotgun, we went out to test fly it on an avionics and DG problem squawk flight.  Yes before you say it, I did remember to lower the gear but still the same the P-2 system tells (or talks to) you telling you that the gear is down and set for landing.  So, at about 100’ above the runway or at about 70kts indicated, I was stunned by a crystal clear audio message came over our LightSpeeds in a male voice saying that the “gear was down” and we were set for a landing! 

Remember, these were two experienced CFII Mooney savvy pilots and at first we thought someone in the pattern was playing tricks on us over the Unicom or there was a friend with a hand-held by the runway! There was no mistaking this surprise audio message.  It got both of our attentions, as would have a similar message about the gear NOT being down.  Frankly, we were both amazed as to how much this caught our rapt attention; not even in the same league as the typical obscure monotone gear horn that came out of the factory and which most of us never normally hear anyway.  I find that most pilots would take a few seconds to mentally interpret the meaning of a stock monotone horn while there is no mistaking the verbal warning of one of these magnificently effective audio warning devices. 

Later on we went out and practiced trying to “fool” the P2 unit and experience how it would act if we “forgot” to lower the gear.   Again, while this time we were both expecting it, there was no doubt it would be ten times harder to actually land "gear-up" with a voice/audio warning system in place than with Mooney's standard OEM Sonalert gear horn.  There is simply no comparison; end of story!

Printed words simply cannot convey the impact the first (unexpected) announcement had on us!  Make no mistake, it got our attention flat out and between the two of us, there was well over 6,000 hours of flying experiences between us.   We were both “sold” immediately on the concept of audio warning systems, especially those which play over ANR headsets.  We could immediately see why the air transport industry and military went to specific audio message warning system obscure VS horns and buzzers, most of which require some degree of mental interpretation. 

There is simply no comparison in effect, especially if you wear a ANR headset which may greatly dim the OEM monotone horn’s “presence” or awareness to the pilot; so to speak.   Also, the fact the horns were devised back when everybody on-board could hear them and probably weren’t wearing headsets, let alone ANR headsets  played on our analysis of the flight afterwards once we were back on the ground.   Obviously we were impressed.

While not a totally independent gear warning system per se, at $495 Aircraft Component’s new (repeater) Voice Alert system is an economical method to gain much of the same audio effect.  Frankly, anything other than the vague monotone horn typically found in Mooneys would be a great improvement in our opinion. 

To put it bluntly, unless you fly with a big "S" on your chest and your flight regalia includes a red cape and blue tights, or you are absolutely rock solid sure that you have a bulletproof checklist system, and you will never experience an in-flight distraction at just the wrong/right time, you will never grow tired, or never ever simply “forget,” we think there is no excuse for not looking into one of these marvelously effective audio gear alert units.  

After all, a M20 belly slide costs both lots of time and money and in the grand scheme of things, at $1,295 for the independent radar sensor powered Gear Alert by ACI, and $1,295+/- for the totally independent P-2 Audio Advisory System, we think these units are not only sound investments, but some form of this technology should be OEM at Kerrville.

At the very least, the economy champ the $495 Voice Alert by ACI which is (in essence) a repeater unit using your ship’s existing sensors) and supplements your existing stock gear horn, is a no-brainer great deal for all Mooney owners. 

If possible, ask them for references of fellow Moonics who have had them installed and for sure visit their web sites.  Better yet, go fly in an aircraft with one of these units installed. Or, call me for that matter… There is no doubt in my mind you will be impressed.   I was it and caught me by surprise, which looking back, is exactly what these things are suppose to do…

Coy Jacob

About The Author:  Contributor Jacob has amassed some 6,000 hours in Mooneys and founded the Mod Squad/Mooney Mart Complex in Venice, Florida.  He obviously writes from personal experiences and he is now a firm believer in these units.  Our guess is that you will find one of them on  his personal turbo 262.  

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