Tricycle gear is essentially the reverse of
conventional landing gear or
taildragger. On the ground, tricycle aircraft have a visibility advantage for the pilot as the nose of the aircraft is level, whereas the high nose of the taildragger can block the view ahead. Tricycle gear aircraft are much less liable to 'nose over' as can happen if a taildragger hits a bump or has the brakes heavily applied. In a nose-over, the aircraft's tail rises and the
propeller strikes the ground, causing damage. The tricycle layout reduces the possibility of a
ground loop, because the main gear lies behind the center of mass. However, tricycle aircraft can be susceptible to
wheel-barrowing. The nosewheel equipped aircraft also is easier to handle on the ground in high winds due to its wing negative
angle of attack. Student pilots are able to safely master nosewheel equipped aircraft more quickly. The taildragger configuration has its own advantages, and is arguably more suited to rougher landing strips. The tailwheel makes the plane sit naturally in a nose-up attitude when on the ground, which is useful for operations on unpaved gravel surfaces where debris could damage the propeller. The tailwheel also transmits loads to the airframe in a way much less likely to cause airframe damage when operating on rough fields. The small tailwheel is much lighter and much less vulnerable than a nosewheel. Also, a fixed-gear taildragger exhibits less
interference drag and
form drag in flight than a fixed-gear tricycle aircraft whose nosewheel may sit directly in the propeller's slipstream. Tailwheels are smaller and cheaper to buy and to maintain. Most tailwheel aircraft are lower in overall height and thus may fit in lower
hangars. Tailwheel aircraft are also more suitable for fitting with
skis in wintertime. ==References==