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Landing gear

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

The landing gear of a Boeing 747-8F airplane, showing its strong undercarriage designed for safe flight operations.

Landing gear is the part of an airplane or spacecraft that touches the ground. It helps keep the plane safe when it is on the ground, moving around, taking off, or landing. Most planes have wheels under their belly for landing gear. Some special planes that fly over water or snow have skids or floats instead of wheels.

Airplanes need strong landing gear to hold their weight and help them land safely. Many big planes have three sets of wheels—one in front and two in the back. This helps the plane stay steady. Some modern planes can fold their landing gear up inside when they are flying, so the plane can go faster.

Spacecraft can also have landing gear. For example, some rockets made by SpaceX have special legs that pop out to land safely after a flight. These legs help the rocket touch down gently on the ground.

Landing gear is very important for keeping flights and space trips safe and smooth. It may look small, but it does a big job!

Images

A small private plane known as a Cessna 152, commonly used for flight training and personal travel.
A close-up view of the landing gear of a Boeing B737 airplane at Bremen Airport during an airshow in 2009.
A close-up of the landing gear of an Airbus A350 airplane on display at an air show.
A close-up of the landing gear of a US Coast Guard Lockheed HC-130H Hercules aircraft on display at an air show.
A close-up of an airplane's landing gear, showing parts that help absorb bumps during takeoff and landing.
A close-up of an airplane's landing gear, showing the shock-absorbing strut and supporting structure.
Front view of the Fairchild XC-120 'Packplane,' an interesting historical aircraft.
Animation showing how an airplane's landing gear retracts, with colored arcs illustrating the movement.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Landing gear, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.