Landing gear supports the aircraft on the ground, absorbs the energy of landing and, on fixed-wing aircraft, allows take-off and landing on runways. On drones and eVTOL it ranges from simple carbon skids to retractable, shock-absorbing gear with brakes and steering.
Types
Skids and fixed legs: light and simple, used on most multirotors and many eVTOL designs that land vertically.
Fixed wheeled gear: for fixed-wing UAVs operating from runways or for ground handling.
Retractable gear: reduces drag in cruise, at the cost of mass, complexity and actuation.
Shock absorbers: oleo-pneumatic struts, elastomeric or spring elements, and crushable structures that absorb crash energy.
Key specifications
Maximum take-off and landing mass and design sink rate.
Energy absorption for normal and crash landings; eVTOL certification includes crashworthiness requirements.
Mass and stowed volume for retractable gear.
Actuation: electromechanical retraction suits all-electric aircraft; see linear actuators.
Brakes and steering for wheeled gear.
Materials: composites, titanium, aluminium and high-strength steel.
Qualification and testing (drop tests, fatigue).
eVTOL considerations
Vertical landings are typically gentle, but the gear must still handle hard landings and failure cases, ground handling on wheels or trolleys, and charging and loading at vertiports. Many designs use light fixed gear and rely on energy-absorbing structures for crash protection.
Why do many eVTOL aircraft use fixed landing gear?
Because they cruise at moderate speeds where the drag saving of retraction is small, and fixed gear is lighter, simpler and more reliable.
What is an oleo-pneumatic shock absorber?
A strut that combines compressed gas, acting as a spring, with oil forced through orifices, which dissipates energy. It is the standard shock absorber in aircraft landing gear.
How is landing gear tested?
With drop tests at the design sink rates and masses, static strength tests and fatigue tests that simulate many landing cycles.
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FeaturedLanding gear
FeaturedLanding gear
FeaturedLanding gear
