Landing Gear
The landing gear absorbs moderate landing loads, and supports the helicopter on the ground. It consists of the components that follow:
Main landing gear
The main landing gear absorbs the landing loads and supports the helicopter on the ground. It is located under the fuselage and consists of the components that follow:
Left and right skid tube assemblies
The skid tube assemblies provide a large area to support the weight of the helicopter on the ground. They are located on each side at the end of the crosstubes. They consist of rectangle aluminum alloy tubes, saddles for attaching the crosstubes, curved fittings with integral steps at the front end, plugs at the aft end, skid shoes, and pins for attaching ground handling wheels.
Forward crosstube assembly
The forward crosstube assembly supports the helicopter and absorbs landing loads. It is located under the front of the fuselage which rests on the supports through the fittings in the main beams. It is attached to the fuselage with two straps and to the forward saddles of the skid tube assemblies at both ends. It is a cylindrical aluminum tube bent into an arc with four sharp turns.
Aft crosstube assembly
The aft crosstube assembly supports the helicopter and absorbs landing loads. It is located under the rear of the fuselage which rests on the supports through the main beams. It is attached to the fuselage with two straps and to the aft saddles of the skid tube assemblies at both ends. It is a cylindrical aluminum tube bent into an arc with four sharp turns.
Maintenance step assembly
The maintenance step is installed on the right side of the aft crosstube assembly to facilitate maintenance activities. It is a casting part of anodized aluminum. The small bumps on the top of the step provide a non-slip surface for the operator.
Main Landing Gear - Operation
The four fittings in the main beams rest on the support pads on the forward and aft crosstubes.
The weight of the helicopter is transferred by the forward and aft crosstubes to the left and right skid tube assemblies where it is spread over a large area of the ground.
When the helicopter is flying, the straps at the four fittings in the main beams hold the main landing gear under the helicopter. Abrasion strips prevent wear of the crosstubes when they are suspended by the straps.
During landings, the forward and aft crosstubes deflect to absorb the load of the helicopter touching the ground.
Tail skid
The tail skid absorbs landing loads when the helicopter lands tail low and prevents the vertical stabilizer from hitting the ground. It consists of the tail skid assembly and the tail skid bumper.
Tail skid assembly
The tail skid assembly absorbs moderate landing shocks and protects the vertical stabilizer. It consists of a steel tube that is held in an aluminum support by a bolt. The support is bonded to the bottom of the vertical stabilizer.
Tail skid bumper
The tail skid bumper absorbs shocks. It is made of synthetic rubber and is bonded to the bottom of the vertical stabilizer behind the support.
Tail Skid - Operation
When landing, the tail is normally lowered to decrease the helicopter forward speed. The tail skid protects the vertical stabilizer and the tail rotor by preventing them from touching the ground. It is able to absorb a moderate shock.
The tail skid also offers a hand hold for ground handling the helicopter.
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