AIRCRAFT LANDING

GEAR
 LANDING GEAR
 is a structure which installed on the aircraft for the
ground and also
allows the aircraft to land safely. Landing gear also
provides mobility to the
aircraft purpose to support the weight of the aircraft
whiles it on ground or water.
 Aircrafts require landing gear for taxiing, takeoff, and
landing. Initially aircrafts used skids as its landing gear.
Times after times, wheels were attached to the skids.
Since that time, various arrangements have been used
for wheels and structures to connect them to the
airplane.
 TYPES OF LANDING GEAR

 Conventional landing gear

 Tricycle landing gear
 Tandem landing gear
 Conventional landing gear
 consists of two wheels forward of the aircraft's
center of gravity and a third small wheel at the
tail. This type of landing gear is most often seen
in older general aviation airplanes. The two main
wheels are fastened to the fuselage by struts.
Without a wheel at the nose of the plane, it
easily pitches over if brakes are applied too
soon. Because the tailwheel is castered--free to
move in any direction--the plane is very difficult
to control when landing or taking off.
 History

 In early aircraft, a tail skid made of metal

or wood was used to support the tail on
the ground. In most modern aircraft, a
small, articulated wheel assembly is
attached to the rearmost part of the
airframe in place of the skid. This wheel is
steered by the pilot through a connection
to the rudder pedals, allowing the rudder
and tail wheel to move together.
 Advantages

 tailwheel has less parasite drag

 less expensive to buy and maintain
 Tailwheel aircraft are easier to man-handle on
the ground and, due to their lower tail, they will
fit into some hangars more easily
 If a tailwheel fails on landing, the damage to the
aircraft will be minimal. This is not the case in
the event of a nosewheel failure, which usually
results in propeller damage.
 Disadvantages

 Tail wheel aircraft are much more subject to "nose-over"

accidents, due to main wheels becoming stuck in holes
or injudicious application of brakes by the pilot
 Conventional geared aircraft are much more susceptible
to ground looping. A ground loop occurs when directional
control is lost on the ground and the tail of the aircraft
passes the nose, in some cases completing a full circle.
This event can result in damage to the aircraft's
undercarriage, tires, wingtips and propeller. Avoiding
ground loops requires increased pilot training and skill.
 Tail wheel aircraft are more difficult to taxi
during high wind conditions, due to the
higher angle of attack on the wings. They
also suffer from lower crosswind capability
and in some wind conditions may be
unable to use crosswind runways or
single-runway airports.
 Conventional geared aircraft require more
training time for student pilots to master.
 TRICYCLE LANDING GEAR
 Tricycle gear is the most popular landing
gear arrangements. The tricycle
undercarriage includes two main gears
just aft of the center of gravity and a
smaller auxiliary gear near the nose.
 Advantages
 It allows more forceful application of the brakes
during landings at high speeds without causing
the aircraft to nose over.
 It permits better forward visibility for the pilot
during takeoff, landing, and taxiing.
 It tends to prevent ground looping (swerving)
by providing more directional stability during
ground operation since the aircraft’s center of
gravity (CG) is forward of the main wheels. The
forward CG keeps the airplane moving forward
in a straight line rather than ground looping.
 TANDEM LANDING GEAR
 is used for very large aircraft like the B-52
bomber and the U-2
reconnaissance/research aircraft. The
main landing gear is in two sets that are
located one behind the other on the
fuselage. The tandem landing gear allows
the use of a highly flexible wing, but it may
also require the use of small wheels on the
tips of the wings to keep the wings from
scraping the ground.
Another Types of Landing Gear
 Quadricycle
 Unconventional
 Bogey
 QUADRICYCLE
 Quadricycle gear are also very similar to the
tricycle arrangement except there are four main
gear roughly equal in size and mounted along
the fuselage. Like tricycle gear, the quadricycle
undercarriage also requires a very flat attitude
during takeoff and landing. This arrangement is
also very sensitive to roll, crosswinds, and
proper alignment with the runway. The most
significant advantage of quadricycle gear is that
the plane's floor can be very close to the ground
for easier loading and unloading of cargo.
However, this benefit comes at the price of much
higher weight and drag than bicycle gear.
 UNCONVENTIONAL
 Aircraft that have to land on water are
fitted with skids rather than wheels.
These skids are the unconventional
landing gears for the aircraft. Some
planes had interchangeable skids and
wheels so that the plane could be used
to land both on land and on water. Other
than skids, skis and floats also the
unconventional gears.
 BOGEY
 Another type of landing gear is the use of multiple
wheels per landing gear strut. It is especially common to
place two wheels on the nose strut of the tricycle
arrangement to provide safety and steering control in
case of a tire blowout. This additional tire is particularly
useful on carrier-based aircraft where two nose wheels
are a requirement. When multiple wheels are placed
on the same gear unit, they are attached together on a
structural device called a bogey. The heavier the aircraft
becomes, the more wheels are typically added to the
bogey to spread the plane's weight more evenly
across the runway pavement.
Classification of Landing Gear
Non-Absorbing Landing gear
 Includes Rigid landing gear, Shock-cord
landing gear, Spring landing gear
   Rigid:  helicopters, sailplanes.  No flexing
other than the structure.
   Shock cord system:  uses “Bungee” cords
   Spring type uses spring steel (some
Cessna’s)
 Images of Non absorbing landing
gear
**RIGID** *Shock cord* **spring type*
Shock-Absorbing Landing Gear
 Dissipates landing energies by forcing fluid through a
restriction
 This fluid generates heat, dissipated into the atmosphere
 Two types:  Spring Oleo, and Air-Oil Oleo
  Spring Oleo is history by now
  Air Oleos are all very similar:  a needle valve restricts
fluid flow
 Air in the oleo holds the weight of the a/c on the ground
 Air Oleos present in both retractable and fixed gears
Images of shock-absorbing landing
gear

Spring oleo Air-Oil Oleo

 Fixed Gear

 Non retractable, usually bolted on to the

structure
  Often uses fairings or wheel pants

    Advantages:
     Lighter weight
     Least costly
Images of Fixed gear
 Retractable Gear
 Designed to eliminate drag (the greatest
advantage)
 Can be either fully or partially retractable
 Direction of retraction depends on airframe
model
 Methods of retraction:  hydraulic, electric,
mechanical, pneumatic
 Critical area of aircraft maintenance for safety
reasons
Images of Retractable landing gear
 Hulls and Floats 

 Can be single float, or multiple

 Definition may include floating hulls (ex. “Lake”
aircraft)
 Floating hulls may only require wing tip floats
 Skis used for snow and ice (wood, metal,
composites)
 Skis are mounted on the same strut as tires
Hulls and Floats
 END
LANDING GEAR
Cast of Characters
Jaysser Fuentes
Johnzel Vasquez
Raffy Zara
Instructor Christopher Linga
Stunt Men
ALL AMT 4-1