Definition
The current position of the landing gear — extended (down and locked), retracted (up and locked), or in transit between the two — as reported to the pilot by cockpit indicators and used as an input by terrain alerting systems to decide which warnings to issue.
Plain English
Whether the wheels are down, up, or moving between those positions right now. The aircraft's warning systems check this to know if you are set up to land or still flying en route.
Context Anchor
Seen in terrain alerting system discussions, especially when the system checks whether the aircraft is set up properly during descent and approach.
Derivation
Status comes from a Latin word meaning “standing” or “condition.” Here it means the current condition of the landing gear, not a general opinion about whether the gear is “good” or “bad.”
Why Pilots Care
Systems rely on accurate status to enable or suppress warnings that could otherwise distract during normal landing.
Intuition Check
Do not read “status” as a general report that the gear is okay. Here it means the gear’s actual position or condition: up, moving, or down and locked.
Example Sentence 1
The terrain alerting system uses landing gear status to determine whether the aircraft is configured for approach or still in cruise.
Example Sentence 2
With landing gear status showing retracted, the system activates mode 4B warnings near the ground.