Definition
A landing gear configuration in which the main wheels are arranged in tandem along the centerline of the fuselage — one set forward and one set aft — with small outrigger wheels mounted near the wingtips to keep the aircraft upright on the ground.
Plain English
A landing gear setup where the two main wheels sit one in front of the other under the body of the aircraft, like a bicycle, with small support wheels under the wings to stop it tipping sideways.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft design descriptions and in discussions of how certain aircraft sit, taxi, take off, and land.
Derivation
The name comes directly from the bicycle, which carries its weight on two wheels arranged front-to-back. The aircraft layout mirrors that arrangement, with the wingtip outriggers acting like a child's training wheels to provide lateral stability.
Why Pilots Care
This setup reduces drag on high-performance or lightweight aircraft but demands precise directional control on the ground to avoid tipping or veering.
Intuition Check
Do not read “bicycle” as meaning the aircraft has only two simple wheels. Here it means the main supports are arranged in a front-to-back line near the middle of the aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
The B-52's bicycle landing gear allows the bomber to carry a heavy fuel and weapons load within a thin, flexible wing.
Example Sentence 2
During the preflight briefing the instructor explained how the bicycle landing gear on the experimental plane helped reduce weight and drag.