Kneeling nose landing gear assembly

A kneeling nose landing gear assembly for an airplane having a fuselage frame comprising:

• a landing gear strut having an upper and a lower end, means pivotably coupling said upper end of said strut to said fuselage frame for swinging movement between a retracted position within a wheel bay and an upright taxiing position wherein said strut extends downwardly from said airplane, said strut having wheel means journalled to said lower end of said strut;
• retraction actuator means operatively coupled between said strut and said frame for selectively swinging said strut between said taxiing position and said retracted position;
• kneeling actuator means having a first end and a second end, means coupling said first end of said kneeling actuator means to said landing gear strut, idler arm means having a first end and a second end, said first end of said idler arm means being pivotably coupled to said frame of said airplane, means pivotably coupling said second end of said idler arm means to said second end of said kneeling actuator means, said second end of said kneeling actuator means being thereby constrained by said idler arm means to swing through a predetermined arc, and;
• stop means operatively coupled to said frame of said airplane and movable between an operable position wherein said stop means is interposed in said predetermined arc for receiving said second end of said kneeling actuator means and an inoperable position wherein said stop means is removed from said predetermined arc thereby permitting said second end of said kneeling actuator means to swing freely through said predetermined arc as said strut is moved between said taxiing and said retracted positions by said retraction actuator means, said stop means in said operable position and said kneeling actuator means being cooperable to support said strut in a kneeling position intermediate between said upright taxiing position and said retracted position, said kneeling actuator means being forcibly extensible against said stop means in said operable position and thereby operable to cushion the descent of the nose of the airplane as said strut is pivoted from said taxiing position into said kneeling position, said kneeling actuator means and said stop means being further cooperable to augment said retraction actuator means to raise the nose of the airplane by pivoting said strut from said kneeling position to said taxiing position.