Tricycle gear
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.
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.
Tricycle gear is essentially the reverse of
taildragger or
conventional gear. 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.
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.
