Landing Gear

[ChrisM]

Hi everybody,
Does anyone know the function of this

This particular photo is of a Concorde but I have seen similar things of the AI's (FS2004) MD80's.  Just wondering what it's there for.
Thanks

[Craig.]

its to stop water and debris getting into the engines and brakes if i remember correctly. Called a cutter.

[Mr. Bones]

Weren't they added after the Concorde crash?

[Craig.]

I seem to recall seeing them on it before.

[Saratoga]

It strips off mud and stuff like that which might stick to the tires and be thrown against the bottom of the fuselage. Mud at 140 miles an hour can put a nice sized dent in an MD-80. Some actually brush against the tires to get our small rocks, debris, and other foreign objects.

[ChrisM]

Wouldn't stuff get caught in it?

[chomp_rock]

If something is big and sturdy enough to get stuck in it, you have more importaint things to worry about.

[Saratoga]

lol correct 73. They are built out of strong metal (titanium mostly) to be able to take the force of the various objects hitting. As pilots, we check them before every flight. I've seen some pretty torn up ones and ones that were actually bent several degrees. However, for the most part, pretty much everything hits it and falls right off, nothing really sticks except a very thin layer of mud to the bottom, mainly (guessing) because of the airflow around the wheels after takeoff and before landing.