Definition
A shaped cam inside the nose gear strut that, when the strut extends fully after takeoff, forces the nose wheel to align straight ahead so it can retract cleanly into the wheel well.
Plain English
A shaped piece inside the nose landing gear that automatically straightens the nose wheel when the airplane lifts off, so the wheel is pointing forward when it folds up into its bay.
Context Anchor
Seen in landing gear maintenance, especially on nose gear shock struts and retractable landing gear systems.
Derivation
‘Cam’ comes from an old word for a shaped part on a rotating shaft that pushes another part as it turns. ‘Centering’ describes its job here: pushing the nose wheel back to centre.
Why Pilots Care
Prevents the nose wheel from striking the wheel-well structure or doors during retraction, avoiding damage that could affect landing gear operation.
Analogy
It is like a shaped guide track that nudges a wheel back to straight ahead as the mechanism reaches the end of its travel.
Intuition Check
A centering cam is not the same as normal nosewheel steering. It mainly lines the nosewheel up when the strut is extended and unloaded, not while the pilot is steering on the ground.
Example Sentence 1
During the gear inspection, the technician checked the centering cam for wear because a worn cam can let the nose wheel retract off-centre.
Example Sentence 2
The technician inspected the centering cam for wear because a damaged cam could prevent the nose wheel from centering properly.