Bicycle landing gear question

Aug 03, 2011 1 Replies

I have seen video footage of B-52s that show that all four sets of wheels are steerable. This allows a B-52 pilot to align his landing gear with the runway and simultaneously crab into a crosswind. This feature also allows a B-52 to perform some unusual maneuvers on the ground.



There are three other bombers with bicycle landing gear: The Boeing B-47 and the Martin XB-48 and XB-51. Were both the front and rear landing gear steerable on any of these three aircraft?


Probably not. When B-52 first came out, steerable gear was classified Top Secret. Like most stuff, hard to keep secret eventually downgraded.

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