background image

251 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 25.493 

direction of motion of the unsprung 
weights as they reach their limiting 
positions in extending with relation to 
the sprung parts of the landing gear. 

§ 25.489

Ground handling conditions. 

Unless otherwise prescribed, the 

landing gear and airplane structure 
must be investigated for the conditions 
in §§ 25.491 through 25.509 with the air-
plane at the design ramp weight (the 
maximum weight for ground handling 
conditions). No wing lift may be con-
sidered. The shock absorbers and tires 
may be assumed to be in their static 
position. 

[Doc. No. 5066, 29 FR 18291, Dec. 24, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 25–23, 35 FR 5673, Apr. 8, 
1970] 

§ 25.491

Taxi, takeoff and landing roll. 

Within the range of appropriate 

ground speeds and approved weights, 
the airplane structure and landing gear 
are assumed to be subjected to loads 
not less than those obtained when the 
aircraft is operating over the roughest 
ground that may reasonably be ex-
pected in normal operation. 

[Amdt. 25–91, 62 FR 40705, July 29, 1997] 

§ 25.493

Braked roll conditions. 

(a) An airplane with a tail wheel is 

assumed to be in the level attitude 
with the load on the main wheels, in 
accordance with figure 6 of appendix A. 
The limit vertical load factor is 1.2 at 
the design landing weight and 1.0 at 
the design ramp weight. A drag reac-
tion equal to the vertical reaction mul-
tiplied by a coefficient of friction of 
0.8, must be combined with the vertical 
ground reaction and applied at the 
ground contact point. 

(b) For an airplane with a nose wheel 

the limit vertical load factor is 1.2 at 
the design landing weight, and 1.0 at 
the design ramp weight. A drag reac-
tion equal to the vertical reaction, 
multiplied by a coefficient of friction 
of 0.8, must be combined with the 
vertical reaction and applied at the 
ground contact point of each wheel 
with brakes. The following two atti-
tudes, in accordance with figure 6 of 
appendix A, must be considered: 

(1) The level attitude with the wheels 

contacting the ground and the loads 

distributed between the main and nose 
gear. Zero pitching acceleration is as-
sumed. 

(2) The level attitude with only the 

main gear contacting the ground and 
with the pitching moment resisted by 
angular acceleration. 

(c) A drag reaction lower than that 

prescribed in this section may be used 
if it is substantiated that an effective 
drag force of 0.8 times the vertical re-
action cannot be attained under any 
likely loading condition. 

(d) An airplane equipped with a nose 

gear must be designed to withstand the 
loads arising from the dynamic pitch-
ing motion of the airplane due to sud-
den application of maximum braking 
force. The airplane is considered to be 
at design takeoff weight with the nose 
and main gears in contact with the 
ground, and with a steady-state 
vertical load factor of 1.0. The steady- 
state nose gear reaction must be com-
bined with the maximum incremental 
nose gear vertical reaction caused by 
the sudden application of maximum 
braking force as described in para-
graphs (b) and (c) of this section. 

(e) In the absence of a more rational 

analysis, the nose gear vertical reac-
tion prescribed in paragraph (d) of this 
section must be calculated according 
to the following formula: 

V

W

A

B

B

f AE

A

B

E

N

T

=

+

+

+ +



μ

μ

Where: 

V

N

= Nose gear vertical reaction. 

W

T

= Design takeoff weight. 

A = Horizontal distance between the c.g. of 

the airplane and the nose wheel. 

B = Horizontal distance between the c.g. of 

the airplane and the line joining the cen-
ters of the main wheels. 

E = Vertical height of the c.g. of the airplane 

above the ground in the 1.0 g static con-
dition. 

μ 

= Coefficient of friction of 0.80. 

f = Dynamic response factor; 2.0 is to be used 

unless a lower factor is substantiated. In 
the absence of other information, the dy-
namic response factor f may be defined 
by the equation: 

f

= +

⎜⎜

⎟⎟

1

1

2

exp

πξ

ξ

Where: 

VerDate Sep<11>2014 

09:06 Jun 28, 2024

Jkt 262046

PO 00000

Frm 00261

Fmt 8010

Sfmt 8003

Y:\SGML\262046.XXX

262046

ER27MY98.017</GPH>

ER27MY98.018</GPH>

jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with CFR

background image

252 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 25.495 

is the effective critical damping ratio of 

the rigid body pitching mode about the 
main landing gear effective ground con-
tact point. 

[Doc. No. 5066, 29 FR 18291, Dec. 24, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 25–23, 35 FR 5673, Apr. 8, 
1970; Amdt. 25–97, 63 FR 29072, May 27, 1998] 

§ 25.495

Turning. 

In the static position, in accordance 

with figure 7 of appendix A, the air-
plane is assumed to execute a steady 
turn by nose gear steering, or by appli-
cation of sufficient differential power, 
so that the limit load factors applied at 
the center of gravity are 1.0 vertically 
and 0.5 laterally. The side ground reac-
tion of each wheel must be 0.5 of the 
vertical reaction. 

§ 25.497

Tail-wheel yawing. 

(a) A vertical ground reaction equal 

to the static load on the tail wheel, in 
combination with a side component of 
equal magnitude, is assumed. 

(b) If there is a swivel, the tail wheel 

is assumed to be swiveled 90

° 

to the air-

plane longitudinal axis with the result-
ant load passing through the axle. 

(c) If there is a lock, steering device, 

or shimmy damper the tail wheel is 
also assumed to be in the trailing posi-
tion with the side load acting at the 
ground contact point. 

§ 25.499

Nose-wheel yaw and steering. 

(a) A vertical load factor of 1.0 at the 

airplane center of gravity, and a side 
component at the nose wheel ground 
contact equal to 0.8 of the vertical 
ground reaction at that point are as-
sumed. 

(b) With the airplane assumed to be 

in static equilibrium with the loads re-
sulting from the use of brakes on one 
side of the main landing gear, the nose 
gear, its attaching structure, and the 
fuselage structure forward of the cen-
ter of gravity must be designed for the 
following loads: 

(1) A vertical load factor at the cen-

ter of gravity of 1.0. 

(2) A forward acting load at the air-

plane center of gravity of 0.8 times the 
vertical load on one main gear. 

(3) Side and vertical loads at the 

ground contact point on the nose gear 
that are required for static equi-
librium. 

(4) A side load factor at the airplane 

center of gravity of zero. 

(c) If the loads prescribed in para-

graph (b) of this section result in a 
nose gear side load higher than 0.8 
times the vertical nose gear load, the 
design nose gear side load may be lim-
ited to 0.8 times the vertical load, with 
unbalanced yawing moments assumed 
to be resisted by airplane inertia 
forces. 

(d) For other than the nose gear, its 

attaching structure, and the forward 
fuselage structure, the loading condi-
tions are those prescribed in paragraph 
(b) of this section, except that— 

(1) A lower drag reaction may be used 

if an effective drag force of 0.8 times 
the vertical reaction cannot be reached 
under any likely loading condition; and 

(2) The forward acting load at the 

center of gravity need not exceed the 
maximum drag reaction on one main 
gear, determined in accordance with 
§ 25.493(b). 

(e) With the airplane at design ramp 

weight, and the nose gear in any steer-
able position, the combined application 
of full normal steering torque and 
vertical force equal to 1.33 times the 
maximum static reaction on the nose 
gear must be considered in designing 
the nose gear, its attaching structure, 
and the forward fuselage structure. 

[Doc. No. 5066, 29 FR 18291, Dec. 24, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 25–23, 35 FR 5673, Apr. 8, 
1970; Amdt. 25–46, 43 FR 50595, Oct. 30, 1978; 
Amdt. 25–91, 62 FR 40705, July 29, 1997] 

§ 25.503

Pivoting. 

(a) The airplane is assumed to pivot 

about one side of the main gear with 
the brakes on that side locked. The 
limit vertical load factor must be 1.0 
and the coefficient of friction 0.8. 

(b) The airplane is assumed to be in 

static equilibrium, with the loads being 
applied at the ground contact points, 
in accordance with figure 8 of appendix 
A. 

§ 25.507

Reversed braking. 

(a) The airplane must be in a three 

point static ground attitude. Hori-
zontal reactions parallel to the ground 
and directed forward must be applied 
at the ground contact point of each 
wheel with brakes. The limit loads 
must be equal to 0.55 times the vertical 

VerDate Sep<11>2014 

09:06 Jun 28, 2024

Jkt 262046

PO 00000

Frm 00262

Fmt 8010

Sfmt 8010

Y:\SGML\262046.XXX

262046

jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with CFR