Landing gear

Abstract

An aircraft landing gear ( 1, 21 ) is arranged such that in its deployed position it is configured to reduce, during the approach on landing, the noise generated by the interaction of the landing gear ( 1, 21 ) and the air flowing past the landing gear. Various means are described to reduce the amount of turbulent air flow generated in the region of the landing gear ( 1, 21 ), including inverting and fairing the nose-gear shock-absorbing leg ( 3, 4 ), providing faired twin in-line oleos ( 2 a , 2 b ,) and providing fairings ( 11 ) that produce shielding air curtains ( 24 ).

1 - 31 . (canceled)  
     
     
         32 . An aircraft including a landing gear movable between a deployed position and a stowed position, wherein the landing gear includes a plurality of longitudinal load bearing supports, the supports being arranged in parallel, and a noise reduction fairing, the landing gear being so arranged that, in use when the landing gear is in its deployed position, the supports are arranged one behind the other in the direction of the air flow and the noise reduction fairing at least partially fairs the front load bearing support.  
     
     
         33 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the noise reduction fairing comprises a fairing element that extends around at least two of the load bearing supports.  
     
     
         34 . An aircraft according to  claim 33 , wherein the fairing element encompasses at least two of the load bearing supports.  
     
     
         35 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the landing gear is arranged such that one or more service pipes, cables, conduits, or the like, are provided between at least two of the longitudinal load bearing supports.  
     
     
         36 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the landing gear is arranged such that one or more service pipes, cables, conduits, or the like, are provided between at least two of the longitudinal load bearing supports and the fairing element encompasses said at least two of the load bearing supports and said one or more service pipes, cables, conduits, or the like.  
     
     
         37 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein at least one of the load bearing supports includes a shock absorbing element.  
     
     
         38 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein at least two of the load bearing supports include shock absorbing elements, and one of the shock absorbing elements is configured to have a different shock absorbing capacity from at least one of the other shock absorbing elements.  
     
     
         39 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein at least two of the load bearing supports are configured to withstand significantly different loads.  
     
     
         40 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the load bearing supports are arranged to support loads when the aircraft is on the ground via wheels mounted on a bogie, and two of the load bearing supports are arranged to be able to vary the pitch of the bogie.  
     
     
         41 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal load bearing supports are so arranged that when the landing gear is in the deployed position each load bearing support is so arranged that the long axis of the support is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft.  
     
     
         42 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the plurality of longitudinal load bearing supports comprise two landing gear legs.  
     
     
         43 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the landing gear is a nose landing gear.  
     
     
         44 . An aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the landing gear is a main landing gear.  
     
     
         45 . An aircraft landing gear including 
 a plurality of longitudinal load bearing supports including a front longitudinal load bearing support and a rear longitudinal load bearing support, the supports being arranged in parallel, and    a noise reduction fairing positioned in front of the front landing gear support, whereby in use when the landing gear is in a deployed position on an aircraft, the supports are arranged one behind the other in the direction of the air flow and the noise reduction fairing at least partially fairs the front load bearing support.    
     
     
         46 . A kit for converting a conventional aircraft into an aircraft according to  claim 32 , wherein the kit includes at least one noise reduction fairing.  
     
     
         47 . A method of reducing noise caused by landing gear on an aircraft including a step of manufacturing a landing gear according to  claim 45 .  
     
     
         48 . A method according to  claim 47  further including a step of modifying an existing design in order to reduce noise caused by the landing gear.