What type of aircraft landing gear is characterized by a tail wheel?

The correct answer is the type of landing gear known as conventional landing gear, which is characterized by a tail wheel configuration. In this system, the aircraft has two main wheels located at the front and a smaller wheel at the tail. This design was prevalent in earlier aircraft and is often associated with vintage or classic planes.

Conventional landing gear provides certain advantages, such as better visibility for the pilot during landing and takeoff due to the nose being higher off the ground. Additionally, this configuration can prevent nose-over accidents during hard landings, which is a risk with nose-heavy aircraft designs.

The other types of landing gear have distinct characteristics that differentiate them from the conventional design. Tricycle landing gear, for example, consists of one nose wheel and two rear wheels, which greatly improves stability during taxiing and landing. Retractable landing gear is designed to be stowed away during flight to reduce drag, while fixed landing gear remains in the same position without the capability to retract. Each of these alternatives has its own benefits and limitations, but they do not feature the tail wheel configuration that is a hallmark of conventional landing gear.