How Does Aircraft Landing Gear Work?

Within the realm of aviation, landing gear proves to be one of the most important systems of the entire aircraft. Through the many aircraft landing gear components working together, an aircraft is able to touch ground and come to a stop safely and efficiently, avoiding damages. This is due to their specifically engineered designs that are in place to meet various requirements of weight, size, performance, and beyond as per FAA regulations. In this blog, we will discuss the aircraft landing gear system and how it helps bring an aircraft safely to a stop after flight.

Aircraft landing gear components work together to aid the aircraft during taxiing, landing, and take-off operations. Due to various needs and requirements surrounding these operations, landing gear is more often than not the first consideration and designed component of an aircraft. Designing and manufacturing landing gear can be a lengthy process due to having to uphold various required airworthiness regulations and to best serve the aircraft they are intended for. Depending on the type of aircraft and its application, different designs and equipment may be utilized as well.

To achieve a successful landing, each of the aircraft landing gear components have their own functionality and purpose. Piston landing gear, such as airplane wheels, are often fitted with shock absorbers to take the impact forces of landing off of the fuselage, and wheels also allow for taxiing around a runway. Disc brake and other brake types on the wheels have the important function of slowing down the aircraft speed until it can safely stop or taxi. Airplane wheels may also be installed in various numbers and arrangements, the most common being the taildragger and tricycle undercarriage. Often, landing gear may have the ability to be retractable and can be deployed and/or retracted into the fuselage while in flight with the aid of hydraulic systems. With retractable landing gear, aircraft can reduce drag that would be caused by the wheels and other systems.

Future plans for developing landing gear technologies include using high strength materials, damping systems, and electronic actuation. With high strength materials, fatigue and corrosion can be reduced for longer equipment lifespan. Damping systems are important to reduce fatigue and wear as well, as these electronic systems are slowly proving to be a very viable alternative for the replacement of hydraulic actuation systems. This is due to the fact that electric actuation systems are beginning to compete in weight, and do not have the problem of flammability and leaking that hydraulic systems have. Beyond these examples, there are many other goals of the aviation community to bring improvements to landing gear design and functionality.

When designing or maintaining your aircraft landing gear system, know that Aerospace Unlimited has you covered with our expansive inventory of over six billion parts. We understand that the parts procurement process can seem difficult, so we work to make it as simple as possible for you. Our expert staff are on hand to aid our customers with any questions that they may have during the purchasing process, and we can provide quick lead-times on hard to find and obsolete components.

Aerospace Unlimited is owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, and we can help you find arm assembly torque parts and other aviation components you need, new or obsolete. As a premier supplier of parts for the aerospace, civil aviation, and defense industries, we're always available and ready to help you find all the parts and equipment you need, 24/7x365. Our dedication to quality and our customers is why we are proud to be an FAA AC 00-56B accredited and ISO 9001:2015 certified enterprise. For a quick and competitive quote, email us at sales@aerospaceunlimited.com or call us at +1-412-212-0606.

1. steven helmer
2. Posted on February 19, 2020
aviation