A tailwheel airplane is best described by which landing gear arrangement?

• A. Two main wheels under nose
• B. Four-wheel canopy
• C. Nose wheel under tail
• D. Tailwheel configuration with a third rear-mounted wheel

Answer: (D)

Tailwheel airplanes use a conventional landing gear setup: two main wheels under the wings and a small wheel at the tail. This arrangement keeps the weight biased toward the main gear and gives the aircraft a characteristic tail-down stance on the ground. The description that mentions a tailwheel configuration with a rear-mounted wheel matches this setup, since it implies two main wheels plus a third wheel at the rear. Other options describe different gear types or are not feasible for a tailwheel design—nose-wheel is tricycle gear, a four-wheel canopy isn’t a recognized arrangement, and a nose wheel under the tail isn’t practical. So, the tailwheel configuration with a rear-mounted wheel is the correct depiction.