Science Fair Projects Ideas - Tricycle gear

All Science Fair Projects

      

Science Fair Project Encyclopedia for Schools!

  Search    Browse    Forum  Coach    Links    Editor    Help    Tell-a-Friend    Encyclopedia    Dictionary     

Science Fair Project Encyclopedia

For information on any area of science that interests you,
enter a keyword (eg. scientific method, molecule, cloud, carbohydrate etc.).
Or else, you can start by choosing any of the categories below.

Tricycle gear

(Redirected from Tricycle landing 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. In a nose over, the airplane's tail tips up, burying the propeller in the ground and causing extensive damage. As well, tricycle gear planes are 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. As a result, the majority of modern aircraft are fitted with tricycle gear.

The taildragger configuration does have a few advantages though. Having the rear wheel keeps the plane in a nose-up attitude on the ground which is useful for operations on non-paved surfaces (i.e. gravel) where one would be concerned about debris being sucked into the propeller and damaging it. In addition, taildraggers exhibit less form drag in flight, though this is irrelevant for airplanes with a retractable undercarriage.

10-26-2009 08:16:03
The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details
Science kits, science lessons, science toys, maths toys, hobby kits, science games and books - these are some of many products that can help give your kid an edge in their science fair projects, and develop a tremendous interest in the study of science. When shopping for a science kit or other supplies, make sure that you carefully review the features and quality of the products. Compare prices by going to several online stores. Read product reviews online or refer to magazines.

Start by looking for your science kit review or science toy review. Compare prices but remember, Price $ is not everything. Quality does matter.
Science Fair Coach
What do science fair judges look out for?
ScienceHound
Science Fair Projects for students of all ages
All Science Fair Projects.com Site
All Science Fair Projects Homepage
Search | Browse | Links | From-our-Editor | Books | Help | Contact | Privacy | Disclaimer | Copyright Notice