This paper presents a new modelling approach for the analysis of landing gear mecha-
nisms. By replacing the mechanism's rotational joints with equivalent high-sti ness elas-
tic joints, numerical continuation methods can be applied directly to dynamic models of
landing gear mechanisms. The e ects of using elastic joints are considered through two
applications | an overcentre mechanism, and a nose landing gear mechanism. In both
cases, selecting a su cient sti ness for the elastic joint is shown to provide accurate con-
tiuation results. The advantages of this new modelling approach are then demonstrated by
considering the unlocking of a nose landing gear with a single uplock/downlock mechanism,
when subjected to di erent orientations and magnitudes of gravitational loading. The un-
locking process is shown to be qualitatively insensitive to changes in both load angle and
load magnitude, ratifying the robustness of a previously-proposed control methodology for
unlocking a nose landing gear with a single uplock/downlock mechanism
