A quick detour from the thread....
Whilst on a conversion flight last year in SA the Piper Aztec I was flying indicated to me that neither my L or R main gear was down and locked. Fortunately I was flying with a brilliant instructor who allowed me to handle the situation as 'pilot flying' even though I had limited experience with the Aztec in fact any twins.
We informed ATC as we were joining the field and there response was 100% professional, deploying Fox Tango 1 + 2 to the threshold where a low fly by was executed enabling an inspection. The inspection revealed gear down and apparantly fully extended, and whilst on the downwind leg the 9th gear lever cycle gave us 3 greens.
Now my point.
When we told ATC we now had 3 greens, they didnt stand down the emergency services at all in fact after landing (never been so relived to hear those babies skreetch) we were followed (as procedure) by the services all the way back to the hangar.
Therefore notso, please consider the consequences of an underestimated emergency at LHR. I would have thought that as a 744 pilot you for one would appreciate the possible escalation of a hydralic problem, imagine if they had of stood down and the undercarriage had of collapsed on landing.
Surely then, some serious questions would have been asked.
I for one am grateful we are bickering about what has happened and not what 'could' of happened!