A Mooney M20J with a tricycle landing gear

Polish 3Xtrim 3X55 Trener with a tricycle landing gear taxiing.

Tricycle gear describes a kind of aircraft undercarriage, or landing gear, arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one gear strut in front, called the nose wheel, and two or more main gear struts slightly aft of the center of gravity. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1864x1258, 340 KB) Mooney M20J (UK registration G-MUNI, date of build 1989) at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1864x1258, 340 KB) Mooney M20J (UK registration G-MUNI, date of build 1989) at Kemble Airfield, Gloucestershire, England. ... // The Mooney 20J (also known as the M201 because of its ability to cruise at 201 mph) is a 4 seat general aviation aircraft. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... The 3X55 Trener (Trainer) and 3X47 Ultra are a family of ultralight civil aircraft produced in Poland by the 3Xtrim Aircraft Factory. ... Look up aircraft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87s, with fixed conventional landing gear. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

Several early aircraft had primitive tricycle gear, notably the Curtiss Pushers of the early 1910s. However, many sources credit Waldo Waterman with the invention of modern tricycle gear for his 1929 tailless Whatsit. Waldo Dean Waterman (June 16, 1894 - December 8, 1976) was an inventor and aviation pioneer from San Diego, California. ... A Northrop YB-49 flying wing. ... Whatsit was an swept-wing tail-less, airplane designed by Waldo Waterman between 1911 (when he first got the idea) and 1932 (when the prototype was finally in testing phase). ...

Tricycle gear is essentially the reverse of conventional landing gear or taildragger. Tricycle gear aircraft have the advantage that it is nearly impossible to make them 'nose over' as can happen if a taildragger hits a big enough bump or has brakes heavily applied. In a nose over, the airplane's tail tips up, burying the propeller in the ground and causing extensive damage. Tricycle gear planes are also much easier to handle on the ground and significantly reduce the possibility of a ground loop. Tricycle gear aircraft are easier to land because the attitude required to land on the main gear is the same as that required in the flare, and they are less vulnerable to crosswinds. As a result, the majority of modern aircraft are fitted with tricycle gear. Jet aircraft are always fitted with tricycle landing gear because the blast of hot, high-speed gases from the engine is damaging to paved areas, such as runways and taxiways. The Piper Super Cub is a popular taildragger aircraft. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In aviation, a ground loop refers to the rapid circular rotation of an aircraft in the horizontal plane whilst on the ground. ... MyTravel Airways Airbus A320 landing Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal or aircraft returns to the ground. ... Aircraft attitude is used to mean two closely related aspects of the situation of an aircraft in flight. ... Look up Flare in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A crosswind is any wind that is blowing perpendicular to a line of travel, or perpendicular to a direction. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A taxiway is a strip of land on an airport on which aircraft can roll (taxi) to or from a hangar, terminal, runway, or other facility. ...

The taildragger configuration does have several advantages for those willing to take the risks. The rear wheel means the plane naturally sits in a nose-up attitude when on the ground; this is useful for operations on unpaved surfaces like gravel where debris could damage the propeller. Additionally, on the ground the wing naturally sits at a higher angle of attack, permitting a shorter takeoff roll than an equivalent tricycle design. The simpler main gear and small tailwheel result in both a lighter weight and less complexity if retractable. Likewise, a fixed-gear taildragger exhibits less interference drag and form drag in flight than a fixed-gear aircraft with tricycle gear. In this diagram, the black arrow represents the direction of the wind. ... In aerodynamics, interference drag is a component of parasitic drag which is caused by vortices. ... In aerodynamics, form drag, profile drag, or pressure drag, is a component of parasitic drag. ...