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Aviation vocabulary · Aircraft & Systems

Landing gear

Meaning in aviation, with examples

nounCore term

In aviation, landing gear means: The wheels, legs and brakes that support an aircraft on the ground. On most aircraft the gear folds up into the body or the wings after takeoff.

In Turkish: iniş takımı

How it is used

Pilots usually just say 'gear': 'gear up' after takeoff, 'gear down' on approach. There is a nose gear and a main gear. Engineers talk about gear doors, gear retraction and tyre changes.

Example sentences

  1. The landing gear did not retract after takeoff, so we stayed low and returned.

  2. Landing gear down, three green.

Common collocations

  • landing gear down
  • retract the landing gear
  • nose gear
  • main gear
  • gear down and locked
  • landingThe final phase of a flight, in which the aircraft comes down onto the runway, touches the ground and slows to taxi speed.
  • takeoffThe moment or phase in which an aircraft speeds up along the runway and leaves the ground to begin a flight.
  • hydraulicsThe systems that use fluid under high pressure to move heavy parts such as the flight controls, landing gear, flaps and brakes.
  • walkaroundThe visual check of the outside of an aircraft before a flight, in which a pilot or an engineer walks around it looking for damage, leaks or anything unusual.

More terms: Aircraft & Systems

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