The landing gear supports the aircraft during landing and while it is on the ground. Simple aircraft that fly at low speeds generally have fixed gear. This means the gear is stationary and does not retract for flight. Faster, more complex aircraft have retractable landing gear. Also, read – Why are airplanes painted white? After takeoff, the landing gear is retracted into the fuselage or wings and out of the airstream. This is important because extended gear creates significant parasite drag which reduces performance. Parasite drag is caused by the friction of the air flowing over the gear. It increases with speed. On very light, slow aircraft, the extra weight that accompanies a retractable landing gear is more of a … Continue reading What are the components of the landing gear?