Definition
A landing gear arrangement consisting of two main wheels positioned aft of the airplane's center of gravity and a single steerable nose wheel forward of the center of gravity. This configuration keeps the fuselage level on the ground and places the nose wheel ahead of the main wheels.
Plain English
A landing gear setup with two wheels under the middle of the airplane and one wheel under the nose, so the airplane sits level on the ground.
Context Anchor
You will see this term when learning basic airplane types, taxiing, takeoffs, and landings in most modern training airplanes.
Derivation
Named 'tricycle' because the three-wheel layout — two in back, one in front — mirrors a child's tricycle. The visual comparison is the whole point of the name: it tells you exactly where the wheels sit.
Why Pilots Care
This arrangement gives better forward visibility during taxi, simpler takeoff and landing procedures, and reduced risk of ground loops compared with tailwheel gear.
Intuition Check
Do not assume tricycle landing gear means the airplane has exactly three individual wheels. It means the gear is arranged with two main gear positions and one nose gear position; each position may have one or more wheels.
Example Sentence 1
The Cessna 172 has tricycle landing gear, which makes it well-suited for student pilots learning to taxi and land.
Example Sentence 2
Transitioning from tailwheel to tricycle landing gear reduces the chance of a ground loop on landing.