Forget how great a flight it's been. The trip will be judged on the quality of the touchdown. It's an unfortunate law of human nature as it applies to aviation: If you land hard, you'll be judged hard. So what can you do to land soft every time? The first person to supply a never-fail answer will have a prosperous future in aviation. In the meantime, there are ways to increase your chances of scoring greaser landings.
One of those things is to fly an airplane with trailing-link landing gear. As this photo of a Beech Sierra shows, a trailing-link design incorporates upper and lower main gear leg sections connected at a pivot point. The tire contact area is located behind the pivot point. When the tire touches the runway, the impact force is transmitted indirectly to the airframe through a shock absorber. On straight-leg main gear, impact forces are applied directly to the gear leg.
Imagine tripping over something and falling forward to the ground. Wouldn't it be easier on your poor body if you hit the sidewalk with your arms bent at the elbows rather than landing stiff-armed?
The disadvantage of trailing-link gear is that it requires more parts, which means more weight, more complexity, and more cost. That's why its rare on light aircraft, although a handful of upcoming models are expected to use it.
After all, when we land, a few extra pounds and a few more dollars seem small prices to pay for the compliments of our passengers on our consistently smooth touchdowns.
Mark R. Twombly
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