Definition
Shock struts are landing gear components that absorb and dissipate the impact loads of landing and the bumps of taxiing. The most common design is the air/oil (oleo-pneumatic) strut, a sealed cylinder containing compressed nitrogen or air above hydraulic fluid. On compression, the fluid is forced through a small orifice, converting the energy of impact into heat and cushioning the airframe.
Plain English
The shock absorbers built into the landing gear legs. They squash down on landing to soak up the impact, then slowly extend again, so the airplane and the people inside don't feel a hard jolt.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight inspection and in landing gear discussions, especially when checking strut extension, leaks, or signs of a hard landing.
Derivation
From 'shock' (a sudden impact) and 'strut' (a structural support member). The name describes the job exactly: a structural leg that takes the shock of landing.
Why Pilots Care
Properly functioning shock struts prevent excessive loads on the airframe, reduce pilot workload during touchdown, and maintain directional control on the ground.
Analogy
They work like the shock absorbers on a car, compressing to smooth out bumps instead of transmitting every jolt straight to the vehicle body.
Grounding Statement
When the airplane settles onto the runway, the shock struts compress to take up part of the force instead of letting the full jolt go into the airplane structure.
Intuition Check
Shock does not mean surprise or electricity here. It means the physical jolt or impact that happens when the airplane lands or rolls over uneven pavement.
Example Sentence 1
During preflight, the pilot noticed one of the shock struts was compressed lower than the others and called maintenance before flying.
Example Sentence 2
During the preflight walk-around the instructor pointed out fluid seepage around the shock struts that would require maintenance.