Definition
The maximum speed at which an aircraft can be flown safely with the landing gear extended (locked in the down position). Exceeding VLE risks structural damage to the gear, gear doors, or surrounding airframe due to aerodynamic loads.
Plain English
The fastest you are allowed to fly with the wheels already down and locked. Go faster than this and you can damage the gear or the parts of the aircraft around it.
Context Anchor
Seen in the aircraft limitations section of the pilot’s operating handbook or aircraft flight manual, especially when planning descent, landing, or flight with the gear left down.
Derivation
The 'V' in V-speeds comes from the French 'vitesse,' meaning speed. 'LE' stands for 'Landing gear Extended.' Knowing the V-prefix is French for speed helps make sense of the whole family of V-speeds (VNE, VFE, VLO, etc.).
Why Pilots Care
Exceeding VLE can cause structural damage to the landing gear doors, actuators, or mechanism.
Intuition Check
VLE is not the speed for moving the landing gear up or down. It is the maximum speed for flying after the landing gear is already fully down.
Example Sentence 1
After lowering the gear on the downwind leg, the pilot kept the airspeed below VLE during the descent to final.
Example Sentence 2
With the gear already extended, the pilot maintained airspeed below the landing gear extended speed during the approach.