Definition
The airplane's primary system for operating the landing gear, typically using hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic power driven by the engine or engine-driven accessories. It is the system that normally extends and retracts the gear during routine flight operations, as distinguished from the backup or emergency extension system used when the primary system fails.
Plain English
The airplane's normal, everyday way of putting the landing gear down and pulling it back up. If this system stops working, the pilot has to use a separate backup method to get the gear down.
Context Anchor
Seen in emergency gear extension discussions, where the pilot needs to know what to do if the normal gear system stops working.
Why Pilots Care
Failure of this system leaves the gear retracted or partially extended, forcing reliance on backup methods to achieve a safe landing configuration.
Intuition Check
Do not read “main” as “the only system.” In this context, “main power system” means the normal system, separate from any backup method used when the normal system fails.
Example Sentence 1
When the gear failed to retract after takeoff, the pilot suspected a problem with the main power system and prepared to use the manual extension handle before landing.
Example Sentence 2
The pre-landing checklist directs the pilot to verify main power system failure before selecting the alternate extension method.