Wheels

[bsalis]

I noticed that from the many pictures i have seen, that people put landing gear on using the default orientation. Which, IMO is wrong. The wheels should retract backwards, not forwards, like in pretty much all RL planes.

I suppose it doesn't matter from a functional perspective.

Just wondering if people are doing this on purpose, or because they don't know the right way, or just don't know how to rotate parts!

Or am I just talking nonsense.

[John Bedlam]

Have you tried landing it like that? The one design I accidentally put the wheels on like that, they ripped off during landing. Wasn't all that rough a landing either.

Retracting sideways is also quite common IRL.

[Rickenbacker]

I always turn my nose wheel around, as it simply looks better .

[Werwolf]

I do the same thing, it annoys the crap out of me the way the game orients them.

[SargeRho]

Most front-wheels retract in counter-flight direction actually.

[Bluejayek]

I turn the front whel forwards like this, as it makes a wider base for my plane to take off from. Generally my planes are horribly unbalanaced contraptions, that are not very long, and hence fall over on the pad if I line up both wheels the same way.

As a result of my horrible plane design skills, I have not had the opportunity to test the relitive landing merits of the two orientations.

[softweir]

There was a discussion about this earlier.

C7 originally had the landing gear swing backwards as it retracted, but a few people claimed that most aircraft have landing gear that swings forwards as it retracts, as this means the wheel is kept locked in place by rolling resistance and doesn't depend on the retract hydraulics to lock it; this is a form of fail-safe. C7 agreed - he intended it to swing forwards as it retracts, and he reversed it for the next release.

Not all aircraft use this, as sometimes landing gear fits much better when it swings backwards as it retracts - nosewheels on light aircraft are most likely to have this arrangement as that means they can be mounted much further forward which is the most stable configuration. (And, come to think of it, most large aircraft swing the landing gear inwards as it retracts!)

I don't think the existing landing gear will change back, but C7 did suggest he would be creating more landing gear units, so we may see some variety.

[opticalshadow]

I don't think the existing landing gear will change back, but C7 did suggest he would be creating more landing gear units, so we may see some variety.

i really hope you do, i persoanlly love options, even if i dont use them all, i like knowing i have them, one set of landing gear makes sense, but i wouldnt mind having gear that moves diffrently, or some longer landing gear, to keep the ship farther off the ground. and while i love tosh's cart, i would love some stock rover parts.

[cardgame]

I've placed them in this direction as you have, but they don't seem as sturdy in that configuration.

[nibula]

Have you ever seen p39

[VincentLaw]

Have a look at the A-10, which has similar gear pods on the wings as those in KSP. All of the landing gear on this airplane retracts the wheels towards the front.

[KingAirDriver]

On aircraft without "up locks" for landing gear, it helps having the system designed so that if hydraulic pressure is lost the gear will fall into the slipstream (backward, meaning it retracts forward) so that the drag can help assist the gear into the locked position.

You'll also have to think about center-of-gravity issues when building your planes as well. It will shift forward/aft depending on how it retracts/extends.

[theflyingfish]

I know C7 said that the gear was designed both visually and mechanically to be similar to the A-10 gear, which retract forward.

[Maddmatts]

I can't think of any aircraft that have the main landing gear retract aftwards (nose gear are the exception sometimes due to space limitations). But I can think of several that retract forwards. The majority retract laterally towards or away from the centerline.

[KingAirDriver]

I can't think of any aircraft that have the main landing gear retract aftwards (nose gear are the exception sometimes due to space limitations). But I can think of several that retract forwards. The majority retract laterally towards or away from the centerline.

Yeah, not too common. The Fokker F-27 is one of them.

The F-18 Hornet kinda-sorta does this with its mains, but it's still probably more lateral movement than aft.

[cardgame]

Wait... what? Why would the US army have contracted Fokker to build a plane for us?

[KingAirDriver]

The Army didn't have Fokker build that plane for our use, we simply used it after-the-fact. That is the US Army "Golden Knights" parachute team's plane.

[Vostok]

The current landing gear was based on the wheels of the A-10. I'm sure we'll see different types in future, so I wouldn't worry.