Landing Gear

After a glide test, a rocket-powered flight, or a trip to space, SpaceShipOne made a horizontal landing on a runway like most other aircraft. As SpaceShipOne got ready to land, the pilot pneumatically actuated the nose skid and rear landing gear, as shown in figure 4.17.

A spring and gravity extended the nose skid into position. It had a maple wood tip that helped slow down the aircraft during landing. This unusual piece of landing gear also acted as a crush damper. Its simple design dramatically reduced the weight and complexity that is typical of retractable nose wheels.

The rear landing gear was also spring and gravity driven but had independent hydraulic brakes for each wheel. By fully depressing a rudder pedal, the brake engaged for the wheel on the corresponding side.

The aircraft was not equipped to retract the landing gear on its own. So, once the pilot put the landing gear down, the only way to get it back up was to land and let the ground crew reset it. There was a big, removable panel on SpaceShipOne’s belly where the rear landing gear is located that also provided access for ground support.