Fixed Gear Is the New Retractable

It's simply amazing how they can do this but you can't tell an old dawg like me that hanging gear don't produce drag. They may be above their forerunners in speed and fuel savings category but would be that much more if they were retract and less gear. As I will probably be on insulin after this surgery and have my ticket yanked anyway it makes no difference but after 36+ tears of calling for gear on every takeoff, I can't see breaking that habit. LOL

As someone said, it comes down to preference. Real birds don't fly with their "gear" down. Neither will I.

I was expecting Peter Garrison to assess the modern qualities of smooth composites with respect to aerodynamics. Clearly smoothing of the nose cowl, windscreen and doors to body precision, and optimized fuselage contours of a TTX or Cirrus all lead to significant reductions in parasite drag. The remaining frontal area ratio of the landing gear should be the benefit for a retractable gear on any aircraft.
My preference is a used Columbia 350 over any available new 40 year old airframe. Esthetically and aerodynamically, the fixed gear has improved significantly since the '60's. Today single engine GA aircraft economies are best served with creative fixed gears.

Nothing like "down and welded".

Three rubbery things??

Have a look at this fixed gear that is HUGE, and remember, that aircraft broke the world speed record!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_S.6B

"Positive rate, gear up."

"No."

reminder physics 101: drag increases as square of speed. the faster these fixed gear go, the more likely they make 'em disappear (the gear). Or put it another way, a fixed gear bird will always bump up against that law- you'll never see a 300k fixed gear (that doesn't gobble fuel).

As I was out two weeks ago in my Columbia 400 shooting approaches at KTME, I am confident that the Bonanza pilot in the pattern was wishing he had three down and welded. He flew multiple low passes trying to get someone to confirm his gear was down, as he had no green lights. After some very tense flying, he landed and the gear held.

To Adrian:
In everyday English, the "Three round rubbery things" commonly refer to the tires (or tyres in England).