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My question is about the Boeing 737 main landing gears:

When the landing gears are up you can see a landing gear door to open in most planes and then it closes. But for Boeing 737 main landing gear are not behind well doors at any time of the flight.

Why are main landing gear wells opened during in flight?

mins
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Dániel Kis
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To keep costs down. The extra friction from no gear doors is more than made up from the weight savings.

Steve Kuo
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  • Arguably: the proportions of the aircraft. The engines are tucked up close under the wing, permitting short landing gear. Retracting the wheels into the body of the aircraft (instead of the wing) allows the engines to be placed closer to the fuselage (better engine-out handling). But, the body is quite narrow, so the wheels in retracted position end up quite close together, leaving little to no room for doors. The wheel wells have "brushes" which help smooth the gap between the aircraft underside and exposed wheels, minimizing the drag penalty. – Anthony X Apr 27 '19 at 22:25