Definition
Heavy elastic cords used in some light aircraft landing gear systems to absorb landing shock by stretching as the gear is loaded, then returning to their original length as the load is released. They serve as the energy-absorbing element in a simple shock-absorbing landing gear arrangement.
Plain English
Thick stretchy cords built into the landing gear that stretch when the airplane touches down and spring back, softening the impact of landing.
Context Anchor
Seen during discussions of landing gear construction, preflight inspection, and how some landing gear absorbs landing and taxi forces.
Derivation
The word 'bungee' comes from a 19th-century English term for a thick rubber eraser, later applied to elastic cords used to absorb shock. The meaning carried over directly: a stretchy cord that takes up energy.
Why Pilots Care
Worn or broken bungee cords allow excessive gear movement, leading to prop strikes, poor directional control on the ground, or collapsed gear on landing.
Intuition Check
Bungee cords in this context are not just tie-down straps for holding baggage or cargo. Here, they are part of the landing gear system on some airplanes and help absorb movement and force.
Example Sentence 1
On the Piper J-3 Cub, bungee cords on the main landing gear absorb the shock of touchdown.
Example Sentence 2
After a firm landing the bungee cords stretched noticeably before returning the gear to its normal position.