Which gear arrangement is considered conventional?

• A. Nosewheel
• B. Conventional
• C. Retractable
• D. Tricycle

Answer: (B)

Conventional gear is the tailwheel setup, with two main wheels under the wings and a small tailwheel at the rear. This is called conventional because it was the original standard configuration before nosewheel (tricycle) gear became common. It’s a taildragger, so on the ground the aircraft can yaw into the wind and even ground loop if not properly managed, making ground handling more demanding than a nosewheel arrangement. The other terms describe different aspects: nosewheel refers to the front-placed wheel in a tricycle layout; tricycle is the nosewheel configuration; retractable just means the gear can fold away in flight, which can apply to either arrangement. Since the question asks which arrangement is conventional, the tailwheel setup is the correct reference.