I am doing "gear down" and VERIFFY as the first thing in the pattern or near it. The last thing is on short final, when you are not another item is to make sure "gear down green" and then I also check prop forward. And you sure dont want to cheange fuel tanks on short final. If its not right then go around and do it over. dONT rush the go around or back into the pattern, might even have to go up and hold or crank the gear down.
I have had "not down" 3 tmes at least. Once was actually down, and 1. I had to crank down,
Both times due to shorted wire, firts time, Spit gear was down but no green light, next time T34 gear would not go down electically due to a bad wire at the swithch in the REAR SEAT, and had bo be cranked. Thank Lord that I had learned these checks well enough as a s student. I watched a friend land his P51 gear up because he had put down 20* flaps first for a low pass and never the gear. AND NOT AT ALL THE ORDER THE PILOT MANUEL CALLS FOR , aLL p-51, Spit, T-6 etc call for gear down BEFORE ANY FLAPS.