The ______ ______ arrangement is seldom used on civilian aircraft other than gliders.

• A. Tandem wheel
• B. Twin wheel
• C. Conventional wheel
• D. Quadricycle wheel

Answer: (A)

When evaluating landing gear, the arrangement of the wheels affects stability on the ground, drag, and how loads are distributed during landing. A tandem wheel setup places two wheels in line on the same strut, fore and aft. This keeps the gear very compact and the overall profile low, which helps minimize drag and suits the slim, clean-airframe designs of many gliders. However, having the wheels aligned in a single line gives a narrow ground footprint, making ground handling and braking less forgiving in crosswinds and limiting lateral stability. For most civilian airplanes, designers favor configurations that provide better ground stability and braking performance—such as side-by-side twin wheels or quadricycle layouts—so the tandem arrangement remains rare outside gliders, where the emphasis is on minimal drag and compact gear.