Final answer:
In alternate law, extending the landing gear on an Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft can cause pitch control to switch from a mode without protections to one with limited protections, offering additional safety measures during approach and landing.
Step-by-step explanation:
Normally, when in alternate law, which is a degraded mode of flight control laws in Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft, the behavior of the pitch control changes when the landing gear is extended. In normal law, the aircraft's flight control computers provide envelope protection that prevents the aircraft from exceeding certain flight parameters; however, this protection is partly lost in alternate law.
Upon extending the landing gear in alternate law, the pitch control logic may revert from 'alternate law without protections' to 'alternate law with protections,' depending on specific aircraft type and system design. This means that some protective features, like g-load limitation, may become available again to assist the pilot in maintaining safe flight conditions during approach and landing. It's crucial for pilots to be familiar with these changes to ensure the safe operation of the aircraft in various configurations.