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Can you retract the landing gear?
Well, the short answer is no. Modern airplanes have something called “Squat switch”. Essentially it is a sensor, which can tell if a plane is still standing on the ground. When the squat switch is activated, meaning that the plane is still on the ground, it is physically impossible to retract the landing gear.
What are the two types of landing gear?
Landing gear usually comes in three basic wheel arrangements: conventional, tandem and tricycle-type. Beyond this, landing gear is then classified as either fixed or retractable. Fixed landing gear hangs underneath an aircraft during flight, whereas retractable landing gear is stowed inside an aircraft during flight.
Why did the landing gear on the JU87 come off?
The landing gear of the Ju87 had a design break point in order come off cleanly under high translational forces, such as getting caught in a ditch during an emergency landing. The idea was to avoid flipping over the entire aircraft, which usually had bad consequences for the crew.
Are there explosive charges in the landing gear?
Some years ago I read that the Stuka had explosive charges in the landing gear that the pilot could activate to clear the landing gear and perform a belly landing in inadequated terrain. True or not? I believe this started with a small batch of trials aircraft being prepared for use from the Aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.
Why did the landing gear on the Stuka come off?
The Ju87C supposedly had explosive bolts to ensure the landing gear came off before ditching Click to expand… It didn’t work very well then! The Stuka was a fairly heavy aircraft and the undercarriage substantial. I just wonder how practical such a system would have been. Beyond a certain point the gear will always be torn off.
Why did Hans Ulrich Rudel eject his landing gear?
Hans Ulrich-Rudel describes an incident in his book Stuka Pilot where he had to eject his landing gear to run away from Russian fighters. He ended up making a belly landing as I recall. He was a very unusual fellow, extraordinarily successful as a pilot, he was nevertheless not a very admirable person.