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Why do taildraggers exist?
Because of the way airframe loads are distributed while operating on rough ground, tailwheel aircraft are better able to sustain this type of use over a long period of time, without cumulative airframe damage occurring. If a tailwheel fails on landing, the damage to the aircraft will be minimal.
What are the disadvantages of using tail wheel type aircraft?
Taildragger aircraft possess a small number of disadvantages compared to nosewheel aircraft. The tailwheel can drop into holes in the ground, especially on soft fields. Main tires can also drop in holes, and thus potentially nose over and strike the propeller.
How is tricycle landing gear different from taildragger?
Tricycle gear is essentially the reverse of conventional landing gear or taildragger. On the ground, tricycle aircraft have a visibility advantage for the pilot as the nose of the aircraft is level, whereas the high nose of the taildragger can block the view ahead.
What kind of landing gear was used before tailwheels?
Before aircraft commonly used tailwheels, many aircraft (like a number of First World War Sopwith aircraft, such as the Camel fighter) were equipped with steerable tailskids, which operate similar to a tailwheel.
Why is a tail wheel used in a glider?
If you look at modern airplane designs, those where weight must be kept low (like aerobatic planes) still have a taildragger gear. It is also used in gliders and motor gliders, because they will operate mostly from grass strips and do not want to include internal space to accommodate three retractable wheels.
Why are tail wheels used instead of tricycles?
The reasons for the nose wheel design is increased control during takeoff (with the tail dragger there is a period where the tailwheel is off the ground and yaw control is up to the rudder) Some nose wheel gears are fragile and would not survive well on unpaved runways.