Definition
The rubber tire mounted on the nose-wheel of an airplane equipped with tricycle landing gear. It supports the front of the aircraft on the ground and absorbs the loads transmitted through the nose strut during taxi, takeoff, and landing rollout.
Plain English
The tire on the front wheel of an airplane that has its third wheel under the nose rather than under the tail.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight inspection, taxi, takeoff, landing, and landing rollout on airplanes that have a nose wheel.
Why Pilots Care
Condition and inflation of the nose-wheel tire directly affect directional control and can cause shimmy or loss of steering if neglected.
Intuition Check
Do not think of the nose-wheel tire as the tire that should take the first landing impact. In a normal landing, the main wheels touch first, and the nose wheel is lowered gently afterward.
Example Sentence 1
After the main wheels touched down, the pilot held back-pressure on the yoke to keep the nose-wheel tire off the runway as long as possible.
Example Sentence 2
During the preflight walk-around the pilot checks the nose-wheel tire for cuts, cracks, and correct pressure.