Therefore, to operate the electrical part of the retract system, all you need is a device to select which direction you want the 12 volt current to flow to the motor and an off/on switch to make the motor run or stop running. That is literally All that is required. Anything else added to this should have some valid reason for being installed or it only serves to complicate the system, provide more "stuff" to go wrong, and add weight and expense and building time to the plane for no really valid reason.

Any reasonable person would say that a device to provide circuit protection is also a necessary thing to include in this circuit, and that I therefore have my head in a very dark place. But Alas! I agree that circuit protection is necessary.  So how could I insinuate that a circuit breaker is not necessary?  You will note if you reread the last paragraph that I said an "off/on switch" IS a necessary part of the circuit? (In checking, I find that YES, I did indeed say that!!!) It just so happens that "off/on switches" come in a version called a "switching breaker". If a "switching breaker" is used as the switch, it serves as both the

This is the circuit I have in my plane and it is the circuit I have been flying with for about 15 years now! Many of you have flown with me and I think that no one would say that they noticed any complications or difficulty in my operating my gear with this system. In fact, most would probably say they had no actual memory of even being aware of my operating it unless I was verbally calling out what I was doing as I have been known to do.

Prior to take off, I place the "gear selector switch" in the "up" or "retract" position. When the plane lifts off, and I am ready for the gear to retract, I simply flip the on/off switch to "on". The gear retracts. When I have 3 lights, or when I see the proper pressure indication on my pressure gauge, or both, I simply switch the switch to the "off" position. The retraction only takes a few seconds so it’s not like this is a process that you have to focus on for an extended time. Also, the hydraulic pump is equipped with pressure relief valves that prevent the pump from over pressurizing the system. These relief valves are pre-set to the proper pressure for both sides of the system. If the pilot fails to shut off the pump immediately when the gear has reached the end of the travel, no harm is done. The excess fluid and pressure being