Abstract: An aircraft landing gear assembly which is to be movable from a retracted position within the fuselage of the aircraft to a position extended outwardly from the fuselage of the aircraft. The landing gear assembly includes a main supporting strut leg assembly to which is pivotly secured a wheel lever assembly. The tire assembly is pivotly mounted upon the free end of the wheel lever assembly about an axis which is angularly disposed with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the tire assembly. A linkage assembly connects with the tire assembly to plane the tire to a different angular position with the landing gear assembly in the retracted position. A side brace assembly, to provide lateral support, is piovtly interconnected between the strut leg assembly and the aircraft. The side brace assembly comprises a pair of members which are foldable upon themselves when the landing gear is retracted.

Abstract: A shock isolator wherein a piston is movably mounted within a compressible solid chamber formed within a housing, the piston including first passages and second passages, the compressible solid material to be extracted through said first passages during an extension of the piston, the compressible solid material to be extracted also through the second passages during retraction of the piston, a ring surrounding the piston, the ring to close off the second passages during extension of the piston, during retraction of the piston the ring to move to permit the compressible solid material to flow therethrough.

Abstract: A piston rod having a variable volume auxiliary chamber extends into a primary chamber in a casing. Normally open valve means are arranged between the primary and auxiliary chambers which are filled with a compressible medium and which are in communication when the shock absorber is at rest. The variable volume auxiliary chamber accommodates changes in volume of the compressible medium resulting from changes in temperature of the medium. When impact forces are imposed on the piston rod, initial movement of the piston rod closes the valve means and subsequent movement of the piston rod into the primary chamber reduces the volume of the compressible medium therein thereby effecting energy absorption.

Abstract: An energy absorption unit wherein a piston is movably mounted in a compressible solid chamber, the piston including first and second passages, the compressible solid material to be conducted only through said first passages during low energy damping levels, a valve means connected to said piston through a shear pin assembly, said valve means normally closing said second passages, at a predetermined high energy level said shear pin assembly being caused to fail also permitting conductance of said compressible solid material through said second passages.