Definition
A backup procedure for lowering the landing gear by mechanical means when the normal powered system (electric, hydraulic, or electrohydraulic) has failed. Depending on the airplane, this may involve cranking a hand-operated mechanism, pulling a release handle that lets the gear free-fall into position under its own weight, or pumping a manual hydraulic pump until the gear is down and locked.
Plain English
A way to get the landing gear down by hand when the system that normally lowers it stops working.
Context Anchor
Seen in the airplane’s operating handbook, checklist, or emergency procedures for retractable-gear airplanes.
Derivation
Manual comes from the Latin manus, meaning hand. The word signals that the action is done by the pilot directly rather than by the airplane's powered system.
Why Pilots Care
Enables a safe gear-down landing when electrical power is lost and prevents a gear-up accident.
Grounding Statement
If the landing gear switch does nothing, manual landing gear extension is the backup action used to lower the wheels before landing.
Intuition Check
Manual does not mean the pilot is landing the airplane by hand. Here it means the landing gear is lowered by a backup method rather than by the normal powered system.
Example Sentence 1
After the gear failed to extend with the switch, the pilot followed the checklist for manual landing gear extension and cranked the gear down by hand.
Example Sentence 2
The student practiced manual landing gear extension during the simulated electrical emergency drill.