LANDING GEAR

System Maintenance 3 - 1
 HISTORY
• Some of the first airplanes did not have
wheels
• Tricycle L/G was popular with pusher
engines
• Engines moved to the front, tail draggers
were popular
• Shorter propellers were being used, back
to tricycle gear
 ARRANGEMENTS
• Tail dragger (conventional)
• Tricycle
• Tandem

• Fixed
• Retractable

• Large aircraft
 TYPES
• Fixed wing aircraft landing gear consists of:
Main gear:
• Mounted ahead of the C of G (conventional)
• Mounted behind the C of G (tricycle)

Tail wheel:
• Back of the aircraft (tail)
Nose wheel:
• Front of the aircraft (nose)
 LARGE AIRCRAFT
• More than 2 wheels attached to one strut:
– referred to as a bogie
– 2 bogies = a truck

• Number of wheels are determined by:

– gross weight of the aircraft
– landing surface aircraft is used on
 CONSTRUCTION
• Airplanes absorb the landing shock
through various means
– Spring steel
– Rigid gear
– Bungee cord
– Shock struts

• Non shock absorbing / shock absorbing

 NON-ABSORBING
Spring Steel
• Does not actually absorb the shock but
accepts the energy and returns it to the
aircraft at a rate that the aircraft is
designed to accept

• A flat steel leaf or tubular spring steel strut

 NON-ABSORBING
Rigid Gear
• Transmits all loads of landing to the
airframe structure

• Elasticity of the tires take some of the

shock

• Helicopters use this type as they land very

softly……usually
 NON-ABSORBING
Bungee Cord
• Rubber is used to cushion landing
• In the form of rubber doughnut or
• Bungee cords: a bundle of small rubber
strands encased in a loosely woven cloth
• Accept landing and taxi shocks
 SHOCK ABSORBING GEAR
• Air-oil shock absorber or oleo most widely
used today

• Piston is free to move up and down inside

a cylinder

• Wheel and axle are attached to the piston

• Both are kept aligned and together by use
of torque links or scissors
Nose wheel Main wheel
Beech 99 Main Gear
SYSTEM MAINTENANCE CHAPTER 3

IDENTIFY LANDING GEAR

COMPONENTS
 NOSE GEAR

Drag brace

Torque links

Fork
 NOSE GEAR

Position indicator

Shimmy damper

Steering stop
PC12 Nose Gear Steering Stop
PC12 Tow Bar Hookup
 SHIMMY DAMPERS
• Installed on the nose gear

• Small hydraulic shock absorber

• Small piston type hydraulic cylinders that

control fluid flow from one side of a piston
to another
 NOSE GEAR STEERING
• Found on tricycle gear aircraft

1)Mechanical through rudder input

2)Hydraulic through rudder pedal input
3)Steering tiller (joystick)
 NOSE GEAR STEERING
Centering cam:
• Nose gear wheel must be aligned for
retraction and landing

• Centering cam inside cylinder aligns wheel

when strut is fully extended
MAIN GEAR
 MAIN GEAR

Gear door pickup

Squat switch

Torque link

Brake hose
TORQUE LINKS
• A hinged link between
the cylinder and the
piston of an oleo

• Allow the piston to

move freely in and out
of the cylinder, but
prevent them from
rotating

• Also called scissors

METRO MAIN GEAR TQ LINKS
 WHEEL ALIGNMENT
• Wheels should be aligned to be sure
aircraft tracks correctly (landing & take-off)

• Tire wear is reduced

• Toe in
• Toe out
• Camber
 WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Toe-in
• Front of the tires are closer to each other
than the back of the tires

Toe-out
• Front of the tires are farther apart than the
rear
 WHEEL ALIGNMENT
Camber
• Wheels tilted or inclined from vertical

• Top of the wheel tilts outward the camber

is positive

• Top of the wheel tilts inward the camber is

negative
 LANDING GEAR PARTS
Drag Brace
• Braces the gear during ground operation
• Keeps gear from collapsing
• Attached to the aircraft structure and L/G

• Hinged in the center to allow for retraction

• Usually over centers in the down position
 Actuator

Drag Brace
 LANDING GEAR PARTS
Uplocks
• A small hook which hooks into the landing
gear in the fully retracted position

• A micro-switch contacts the gear in the

gear well
 LANDING GEAR PARTS
Downlocks
• The drag brace is hinged and can swing
over center to lock the gear down
• Some use a down latch like the uplock
• A micro switch will also be used to operate
a light in the cockpit to indicate gear is
down
• Will be mounted at drag brace
ANTI RETRACTION DEVICES
• Accidental retractions can happen and can
be prevented
• Mechanical down locks
– a positive lock to prevent accidental operation
of the gear
• A hook on the gear handle will stop the
handle from moving to up
– squat switch will enable the hook across the
handle mechanically
SQUAT SWITCHES
ANTI RETRACTION DEVICES
• Squat switch or safety switch mounted on
the gear when the aircraft leaves the
ground the shock strut extends causing
the switch to close

• A ground is completed and thus a solenoid

energizes and unlocks the gear handle
allowing it to be raised to retract the gear
 GROUND LOCKS / PINS
• Used to prevent collapse of the gear on
the ground

• Pin is inserted into holes that are drilled

into the gear support structure

• Installed after flights

• Pins will have red streamers attached
 GROUND LOCKS
• Homemade using a pipe
• Cut in half
• Attach to the landing gear actuator and
clamp
• Clamp 2 boards or angle iron over drag
brace
 JACKING
• Follow maintenance manual
• Jack one wheel or
• Jack entire aircraft
• Close doors
• Jack evenly
• Have someone watching
• Secure safety on jacks
 GEAR INDICATORS
• Indicate to the pilot where the landing gear
is
• Green indicates down and locked
• Yellow or red will indicate in transit or
unsafe
• NO lights usually means up & locked

• Micro switches or proximity switches used

to illuminate lights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i-BEt4BIpg
 OLEO OR SHOCK STRUT
• Self contained hydraulic units that support
an aircraft on the ground and protect the
aircraft structure by absorbing and
dissipating the shock loads of landing.
• Pneumatic/hydraulic strut uses
compressed nitrogen combined with
hydraulic fluid to absorb and dissipate
shock loading
 OLEO OR SHOCK STRUT
• Cylinder and piston form an upper and
lower chamber
• Lower chamber is filled with hydraulic fluid
• Upper chamber contains the nitrogen
charge
 OLEO OR SHOCK STRUT
• An orifice is placed between the two
chambers and acts as a passage for fluid
during compression and extension of the
strut.
• A tapered metering pin controls the rate of
fluid flow from the lower chamber to the
upper chamber.
• During compression the rate of flow is not
constant but is controlled automatically by the
variable shape of the metering pin as it passes
through the orifice.
• Damping or snubbing devices consist of a recoil
valve or snubber tube to reduce the rebound
during the extension stroke and to prevent too
rapid extension of the shock strut and possible
damage to the landing gear.
 OLEO STRUT
• Initial landing load is absorbed by the
restricted fluid flow through the orifice as
the tapered pin enters the orifice
• Compressed nitrogen absorbs shocks
during taxi
• High pressure air valve is fitted at the
struts top for servicing
• Proper fluid level and air charge must be
maintained
 OLEO OR SHOCK STRUT
• Instruction plates are provided on all struts
and supply information regarding filling
procedures and inflating-
****Read before proceeding****
• Packing gland to seal sliding joint between
cylinder and piston
• Packing gland wiper ring to keep sliding
surface of piston free from dirt, mud, ice,
snow which could cause the gland seal to
leak.
 Oleo Servicing
• Two types of high pressure air valves
• One with valve core similar to a tire valve-
sometimes has a “H” embosed on the
head
• The other has no valve core- just a ¾” nut
to loosen
• Fluid level can be checked by slowly
deflating the strut to full compression
• Fluid is then bled thru the air valve port
with use of a jack to expel all air
• Inflate oleo with high pressure nitrogen to
the specified pressure or to the dimension
given by the airframe manual
• Collapsed strut to amount of cylinder that
should be showing with weight on the
aircraft.
 Gear Warning
• A gear warning horn may be used to
indicate that the gear is not down and
locked for landing
• As the throttles are retarded to idle on
landing a switch in the pedestal will be
made.
• If the gear is not down and locked the horn
will go off until gear is lowered or throttle
are advanced.
 In the Hangar Maintenance
• In the shop we will jack the aircraft to test
the landing gear for proper operation.
• Maintenance manual will give all
procedures as required.
• Generally aircraft will be on jacks (inside
only) one person in cockpit to swing the
gear using gear handle while others are
outside watching the gear as it goes up
and down
• Communication between the cockpit and the
people at the gear is crucial for safety reasons.
• Gear can be swung with gear doors
disconnected so that access to gear in retract
position can be evaluated for proper operation
and clearances in the gear well.
• Watch for looseness, binding, chafing
• Emergency retraction tests will be performed as
well as per procedures.
• All gear warning devices will also be tested at
this time.
Simple movement
lowering
Raising gear