tail skid
Rear aircraft support
A tail skid is a small skid or runner mounted beneath an aircraft's tail to protect it during takeoff and landing, particularly on older or taildragger aircraft where the tail sits low to the ground.
Before nosewheels became standard, tail skids prevented damage when the fuselage's rear scraped the runway: The biplane's tail skid left a mark in the grass.
- landingDescent's final moment
- hard landingForceful impact upon touchdown
- runwayPaved path for planes
- grass stripNarrow band of lawn
- aircraftAirborne transportation vehicle
drag · brake · wheel · landing gear · fuselage · biplane · scrape · belly landing · ground loop · touchdown · vintage · undercarriage · gear · friction · worn · metal · grass · airfield