an aircraft landing gear self - orients so to align itself within a plane parallel to the plane defined by the aircraft &# 39 ; s roll and yaw axis . a nose gear of a tricycle landing gear configuration includes the ability to not only caster 360 degrees but also self - orient itself to be aligned parallel with the plane defined by the aircraft &# 39 ; s roll and yaw axis once removed from any interaction with the ground . a simple and efficient mechanical design provides the landing gear with a substantially constant centering torque that neither impedes nor impairs ground movement yet returns the nose gear to a proper alignment for retraction and stowage .