Patent ID: 8276843

Claim:
A short take-off distance aircraft comprising at least one front landing gear and one rear landing gear, wherein the at least one rear landing gear comprises: a strut connected, at an upper end of the strut, to said aircraft and bearing a set of wheels at a lower end of the strut, wherein, the strut is positionable to modify aircraft trim during a take-off phase and increase wing structure incidence and resultant lift, said strut being configured to have a variable height at a lowered position, in which the strut is variable between a maximum height at which said aircraft has a substantially horizontal trim and a minimum height at which said aircraft has a nose-tip trim; said strut comprising a barrel articulated about said aircraft and a shock absorber bearing said set of wheels and, said shock absorber being slidably mounted in an accommodating passage of said barrel, which defines a variable-volume internal fluidic chamber; and a source of fluidic power connected to said variable-volume internal chamber via a controllable shut-off member and which is configured to fill or empty said internal chamber with fluid and vary the height of said strut between the maximum height at which said aircraft has the substantially horizontal trim and the minimum height at which said aircraft has the nose-up trim.