Landing Gear

Landing gear is the undercarriage assembly that supports an aircraft on the ground and absorbs the impact of touchdown, typically consisting of wheels, struts and shock absorbers. Early aircraft used simple fixed gear, but the Dayton-Wright RB-1 Racer, a purpose-built racing airplane first flown in 1920, is generally credited as the first aircraft fitted with retractable landing gear, folding the wheels into the fuselage in flight to reduce aerodynamic drag. Retractable gear became standard on higher-speed aircraft through the following decades, and modern landing gear typically includes hydraulic shock struts, brakes and, on larger aircraft, multiple wheels arranged in bogies to spread the load.