Landing Gear System Maintenance

The landing gear system of an aircraft is crucial to its operations, ensuring that the vehicle is capable of landing and stopping on a runway without risking damage or safety. With a plethora of moving parts that are in constant interaction and the impact forces caused by touchdowns, landing gear needs to be regularly inspected and serviced to ensure that any issue or hazard is detected and remedied as soon as possible. From cleaning parts to remove contaminants to conducting adjustments for assemblies, the maintenance of landing gear systems is thorough and requires precision to be carried out correctly.

When undertaking maintenance endeavors for the landing gear system of an aircraft, there are various areas that are regularly checked. During a typical procedure, the inspector will observe the shock structures, tires, brakes, wheel bearings, shimmy dampers, and many other parts. Additionally, inspectors will test indicators, lights, and horns as well for their proper functionality. Beyond such items, the inspector will also check the position of emergency control handles, lubricate nose wheel steering equipment, observe steering cables for wear or damage, and more.

As landing gear consists of many moving assemblies and systems, lubrication is required to avoid wear and tear that results from friction. Through hand or tool application, lubrication can be applied or reapplied to various components as needed. Before reapplying lubrication to any fitting or component, the area should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any debris or contamination which may cause future issues through abrasion. During this time, it can also be useful to check cleaned surfaces and components for any cracks, flaking, breaks, wear, or other issues that need to be resolved.

Over time with consistent operation, gear switches, linkages, locks, doors, and other landing gear system components may require rigging and adjustments to guarantee their proper functionality. For example, over-travel is a condition that must be checked for when replacing landing gear actuating cylinders, as pistons may move farther than needed for landing gear deployment or retraction and thus must be adjusted. Beyond such an example, inspectors will also check linkages, uplock and downlock clearances, limit switches, and other assemblies for possible adjustments.

When adjustments are being carried out by the inspector, the most important components to check are landing gear latches. Latches are responsible for securing landing gear and landing gear doors in place, and they all must operate automatically with precise timing while retaining positioning. To achieve such operations, rollers, shafts, bushings, pins, bolts, and other components all must have correct clearances and installation to support the latches and surrounding systems.

Beyond the adjustments and clearance checks that are conducted by inspectors, the maintenance of landing gear systems will also sometimes include retraction tests to check for proper functionality. To conduct a landing gear retraction test, the aircraft is supported with jacks and the landing gear is deployed and retracted while carrying out close observations. At this time, the emergency extension system is also tested for its functionality. Typically, landing gear retraction tests are conducted during annual inspections and when replacing any component that is pertinent to operations.

As the specifics of landing gear inspections may vary based on the aircraft, one may always refer to their specific manufacturer maintenance manual for what tests are required for a particular model, what specific areas to check, and more. When you are in need of premium landing gear system components that you can depend upon, let the experts at Unlimited Purchasing help you secure everything you need with ease. Peruse our expansive inventory at your leisure, and our team of industry experts are readily available to assist you through the purchasing process as needed. Begin the purchasing process today with a personalized quote when you fill out and submit an Instant RFQ form as provided on our website.


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