Plain English Meaning
A yellow-orange light on the gear panel that means the wheels are moving — they are not yet fully up and locked, and not yet fully down and locked.
Full Definition
On retractable-gear airplanes, an amber (yellow-orange) indicator light on the landing gear position panel that shows the gear is in transit — meaning it is in the process of extending or retracting and is not yet locked in either the up or down position.
Context Anchor
Seen on cockpit indicator panels, especially in retractable-gear airplanes showing landing gear position or gear status.
Derivation
‘Amber’ comes from the yellow-orange colour of fossilised tree resin. Aviation uses a standard colour code on indicator lights: green means safe or in position, red means warning or unsafe, and amber means caution or transition. The amber light is the in-between state — neither confirmed safe nor confirmed unsafe.
Why Pilots Care
Amber lights draw attention to conditions that can escalate if ignored, allowing timely corrective action before a red warning light appears.
Intuition Check
Do not assume every amber light means the same thing in every airplane. Amber generally signals caution or a special status, but the aircraft handbook tells you the exact meaning for that aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
After selecting gear down on final approach, the pilot saw the amber light illuminate briefly before the three green lights confirmed the gear was down and locked.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach checklist the pilot observed an amber light for the flap system and verified the flap position.