section

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13

Landing Gear
and Brakes

The material covered in this document is based off information obtained from
the original manufacturers Pilot and Maintenance manuals. It is to be used
for simulation purposes only.

Copyright 2012 by Angle of Attack Productions, LLC

All rights reserved
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Table of Contents
System Overview
Extension and Retraction
Extension
Retraction

Manual Extension
Nose Wheel Steering
Wheel Braking System
Antiskid Protection
Autobrake System
Parking Brakes

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Table of Illustrations
3
4
4
5
8
9
10
11
12
14

Figure 13-1. Landing Gear Leaver

Figure 13-2. Main Landing Gear Retracting
Figure 13-3. Autobrake Deceleration Rate Table

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6
7
13

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System Overview
The landing gear system on the 737NGX is made up of
two main landing gear in the center fuselage and one
nose landing gear in the forward fuselage. Each landing
gear has a set of two wheels and all landing gear are
retractable into the aircrafts fuselage.

OFF: Landing gear system is free from hydraulic pressure,

DOWN: Landing gear is commanded to extend.

A lever lock prevents the landing gear lever from

accidentally moving to the UP position on ground.

The landing gear is designed to sustain the weight of the

aircraft when it is on ground, as well as absorb the load
forces when the aircraft touches down during landing.
Each landing gear has a series of shock absorbers that
compresses when there is weight over them.
QUICK TIP: If landing gear shock absorbers were rigid, they
would immediately break when the aircraft touched down!
They have to be able to compress sufficiently without
damaging themselves or any other components around
them. The 737-800s maximum landing weight is over 65
tons, all that weight must be absorbed by these shock
absorbers.
The landing gear is extended and retracted with the
landing gear lever located in the center forward panel.
The lever has three positions:
UP: Landing gear is fully retracted and secured,

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Extension and Retraction

Extension

When the landing gear are in the UP position, they are

held in place by uplocks. In order to extend the landing
gear, normally the pilot not flying pulls the landing gear
lever and brings it to the DOWN position. Firstly, the
landing gear doors open to allow the mechanism to come
out of the fuselage.
During this process three red lights, one for each gear,
located above the landing gear lever illuminate to
indicate either:
That the related landing is neither down nor locked,
That the related landing gear disagrees with the
selected position in the lever.

Then, Hydraulic pressure from system A is used to extend the

landing gear. Aerodynamic loads and gravity also reduce
the demand for hydraulic pressure by aiding the extension
process. Once the gear are in their DOWN position,
mechanical and hydraulic linkages hold it in a locked
position in order to prevent them from collapsing upward
upon touchdown.
QUICK TIP: The landing gear locks must also protect

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the landing gear from collapsing when the aircraft lands

sideways, such as during a crosswind landing. The maximum
allowable demonstrated crosswind component for landing
is partly a function of how much side load can the landing
gear absorb during a crosswind touchdown.
When the gear has come down and is fully locked in
position, the red landing gear lights extinguish and three
green lights illuminate. These green lights are immediately
below the red gear lights and indicate that:
The related gear is down and locked. With this, the landing
gear warning horn is also deactivated. This warning is
discussed in the Caution and Warning Systems lesson.
Additionally, for added redundancy, there is also an
independent extra series of green lights in the AFT
overhead panel that provide a gear down and locked
indication.
This is a quick place to look just incase one of the gear
lights is out. This will cross verify the gear is in fact down.
Just because a light is out, doesnt mean the gear isnt
down. Although these lights could be checked with the
annunciates and light test, its much easier for the flight crew

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Extension and Retraction

to simply look up on that panel during that critical phase of
flight, and know if they need to discontinue the approach
or if they can continue.
Retraction

When the landing gear is down and locked, and the

landing gear lever is moved to the UP position, the landing
gear begins to retract upwards.
After liftoff, as soon as the pilot not flying notices a positive
rate of climb and change in altitude, he informs the pilot
flying by saying positive rate, who then commands the
pilot not flying to raise the gear by saying gear up. At
this point when the landing gear lever is selected UP, the
wheels may still be rotating after being in contact with the
runway.
If rotating wheels were retracted into the landing gear
wheel well they may cause damage to components. For
this reason, when the landing gear lever is selected UP, the
wheel brakes automatically stop rotation of the main gear
wheels. The nose gear wheels are also suppressed with
snubbers.
If any of the 6 wheels have suffered damage during the
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takeoff roll, braking will be difficult. To prevent a damaged

spinning tire from damaging any component in the wheel
well, the gear stops retracting and free falls back to the
down position. This gear can no longer be retracted
during that flight.
This is a protection in place for the critical systems that are
largely housed in the gear wheel wells, like what youve
seen in the hydraulics section.
Now, once the landing gear have been retracted, they
are held in place with uplocks, doors and seals. That
completes the retract cycle.
Hydraulic pressure from system A is used to retract the main
and nose landing gear, however during retraction, the
hydraulic system B may also provide pressure. A landing
gear transfer valve changes the source of hydraulic
pressure when:
The aircraft is in the air
Landing gear lever is UP
One of the main landing gear is not UP
Left engine high-pressure compressor (N2) is < 50%
Hydraulic system B pressure is available

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Extension and Retraction

Obviously this condition is rare, and would be
accompanied by other warnings. But it does ensure that
in the chaos of a speedily evolving takeoff sequence that
the gear will come up unless there are other limiting factors.
Finally, as one last step after takeoff checklist is run, the
landing gear lever is placed in the OFF position. This
isolates all hydraulic power from the landing gear system.

Figure 13-1. Landing Gear Leaver, Down Position.

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Figure 13-2. Main Landing Gear Retracting.

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Manual Extension
In order to provide a safe backup for hydraulic system A
power loss or system failure, the landing gear system can
also be extended manually. There are manual gear release
handles guarded by an access door in the flight deck floor
that allow for manual gear extension with the landing gear
lever in any position.

The manual extension access door is closed

Landing gear lever is moved to its DOWN position
Landing gear is then moved to its UP retracted position

There are three manual gear extension handles, one for

each landing gear. To actuate the system, the manual gear
handles must be pulled aft.
When this occurs, the related landing gear uplock is
released and the gear free-falls to a down and locked
position. Once again, the gear weight, gravity and
aerodynamic forces also aid this extension process.
QUICK TIP: Manual extension of the nose and main
landing gear are completely independent from the normal
extension system. In case the normal extension system is
jammed or inoperative, manual extension may be used.
After the landing gear has been extended manually, it
cannot be retracted with this same mechanism. The only
way to retract it is if hydraulic system A pressure is available
and:
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Nose Wheel Steering

The nose landing gear wheels may be used to steer the
aircraft when it is on ground during taxi, takeoff and landing
and the landing gear lever is in the DOWN position. There
are two ways to steer the nose wheels:
With the rudder pedals
With the nose wheel steering wheel or tiller bar

The rudder pedals allow for a maximum nose wheel

deflection of 7 left or right. The nose wheel steering wheel
allows for a maximum nose wheel deflection of 78, which is
a HUGE difference.
During taxi, the nose wheel steering wheel is used, however,
during takeoff the rudder pedals are used so that nose
wheel deflection is lesser and therefore the loads imposed
over the nose gear during takeoff are minimized.
QUICK TIP: Keep in mind that the tiller bar for the nose
steering is NOT available in flight simulator, and is rather
connected as a function with the rudder. Therefore, tight
turns available in the real aircraft will not be available in
the simulator version.

system A. Alternate nose wheel steering is available through

the hydraulic system B when:
The aircraft is on ground
There is a normal hydraulic fluid quantity in the B system
reservoir
The Nose Wheel Steering switch is placed to the ALT
position

The nose wheel steering switch is a two-position switch

located in the left forward panel. It can be selected either:
NORM: Normal position where hydraulic system A powers
the steering system. This position is guarded
ALT: The steering system switches to obtain power from
hydraulic system B

QUICK TIP: The nose wheel steering wheel is directly linked

to the steering system, unlike the rudder pedals. This means
that if both pedals and the steering wheel are used at the
same time, the steering wheel will have priority to control
the nose wheel and will override the rudder pedal input.

Nose wheel steering is normally powered by hydraulic

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Wheel Braking System

The 737NGX has multiple disc brakes on each of the
wheel of the main and landing gear. The nose landing
gear does not have any braking capabilities.
The upper portion of each rudder pedal controls wheel
brakes. When the top part of the pedal is pressed, the
corresponding wheel brakes are actuated.
Example: When either the captain or first officers left
rudder pedal top portion is pressed, the left main landing
gear brakes are actuated, similarly for the right pedal.

applications.
QUICK TIP: The accumulator is capable of supplying six
full braking applications, or eight full hours of parking brake
application.
There is an instrument in the right forward panel that
provides brake accumulator pressure readings.
Normal brake accumulator pressure is 3000psi
Maximum brake accumulator pressure is 3500psi

During normal operation, braking power is supplied

by hydraulic system B pressure. Hydraulic system A
automatically powers the braking system when hydraulic
system B output pressure becomes low or is unavailable.
When this happens, the brakes operate under alternate
braking.
In order to provide added system redundancy, there is
a way to achieve wheel braking when both hydraulic
systems pressure becomes low or unavailable. There is a
system that accumulates hydraulic system B pressure in
a Brake Accumulator so that in the event of a hydraulic
failure, there is still sufficient pressure for several braking
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Antiskid Protection
Both hydraulic systems A & B through normal and alternate
braking provide antiskid protection against:
Wheel skid
Locked wheels
Touchdown
Hydroplane protection

the system treats it as a locked wheel. In both cases the

antiskid protection activates.
For added system reliability, antiskid protection is also
available when both hydraulic systems have failed.

Under normal braking, when a skid is detected, the antiskid

system reduces the related wheel braking pressure until it is
no longer skidding.

To notify the pilots of an antiskid failure, as it is usually

transparent and automatic, an antiskid inoperative light
in the center forward panel illuminates when a fault is
detected in the antiskid system.

Under alternate braking, when a skid is detected, the

antiskid system reduces the related pair of wheels braking
pressure until it is no longer skidding.
Example: When alternate braking is in place through
hydraulic system A pressure and a skid is detected in one
of the wheels of the left main landing gear, the antiskid
system reduces braking pressure to both wheels of the left
main landing gear.
When the speed difference between two wheels is 8 knots
or greater, the system treats it as a skid. When the speed
difference between two wheels is 25 knots or greater,
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Autobrake System
Not only can wheel brakes be operated with the rudder
pedals but also automatically through the autobrake
system. This system uses hydraulic system B pressure to
provide deceleration during a rejected takeoff (RTO) or
after touchdown during landing.
The autobrake system can essentially place the wheels in a
near skid condition, where braking is maximum. For a pilot to
try this manually, he or she would make a disaster of it. This
system ensures that when maximum braking is needed, it can
be achieved efficiently and safely.
During rejected takeoffs, maximum deceleration is provided
by this system when thrust levers are retarded to idle above
90 knots. If a rejected takeoff occurs below 90 knots,
autobraking will remain armed but will not activate and
manual braking will be necessary.
During landings, deceleration rates are selectable by the
pilots with the AUTOBRAKE Selector in the center forward
panel. Autobrakes only activate when both thrust levers
are at the IDLE position and the main wheels start to spin
due to ground contact. If necessary, autobrakes may also
be selected when on ground and at above 30 knots of
ground speed, however, this practice is not recommended.
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QUICK TIP: The maximum achievable autobrake

deceleration rate on a dry runway is lower than the
maximum possible manual braking.
The autobrake selector has six positions:
RTO
OFF
1
2
3
MAX

These positions will be discussed later during FlightWork

and GroundWork when were planning our landing
distances based on the turnoffs well need to take. The
level of autobraking needed in these cases will be
essential to calculate.
There is also an AUTOBRAKE DISARM LIGHT above the
autobrake selector. This light comes on when the autobrake
system is switched disarmed from one or several of the
following conditions:
The Speed Brake lever is moved to a DOWN detent

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Autobrake System
Manual braking is applied during an RTO
Thrust levers are advanced during an RTO
There is a fault in the autobrake system

later when were actually flying the aircraft:

This light also comes on briefly when the RTO mode is

selected on ground because the system performs checks
to test the autobrakes. A nice little reassurance for the crew
that RTO will be available.
The autobrake system is designed to bring the airplane
to a complete stop, unless the pilot disarms it by either
switching the autobrake selector switch to the OFF
position, or:

Autobrake Position
1
2
3
MAX/RTO

Moving the speedbrake lever to the DOWN detent

Advancing the thrust levers
Applying manual braking

Deceleration Rate (ft/s2)

4
5
7.2
14>80kts, 12<80kts

Figure 13-3. Autobrake Deceleration Rate Table

A slight tap of the brakes, for example, will disable the

system. From there on out, braking is controlled by the pilot.
Each autobrake position has a specific target
deceleration rate, outlined in the following table. We wont
go over these in detail now, as we mentioned before that
well talk about the practical application of these numbers
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Parking Brakes
The parking brake is used to retain the aircrafts position
when it is stationary on ground.
Hydraulic systems A or B may pressurize the parking brakes.
When one hydraulic system fails, the other takes command,
however, when both hydraulic systems fail, the hydraulic
system B accumulated pressure in the brake accumulator
pressurizes parking brakes, as we discussed earlier.
To set the parking brake, both pedals must be fully
depressed and the parking brake lever must be pulled. To
release parking brakes, both pedals must be pushed until
the parking brake lever releases.
We only mention the activation of the brake here for
realism purposes, as in flight simulator you can simply
activate the parking brake itself without pedal depression.
Your controls dont actually stay depressed like the real
pedals, meaning that when you let go the brakes will be
deactivated once again.

down before attempting to set parking brakes.

The parking brake lever is located on the control stand.
There is a red warning light next to the lever to alert the
crew that parking brake is set. This light may also be pushed
to test its functioning. All pretty simple and self explanatory.
When the parking brake is on and takeoff is attempted
by advancing either thrust lever forward, a takeoff
configuration warning horn alerts the pilots of this condition.
This is a big duh moment for you as a pilot if you attempt
a takeoff with the parking brake engaged. But, would you
believe that a takeoff has actually been performed before
these warnings were standard in aircraft like the 737? All
it takes is an icy runway and light weight, and its possible
to actually takeoff with the parking brake engaged. A bit
scary to think about.

QUICK TIP: The parking brake should never be set after a

high performance stop, such as after a rejected takeoff or
any form of strong braking. A period of 40 to 60 minutes
must be allowed for the hot brake surfaces to fully cool
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