Editing Strut (section)

==Aircraft==
{{Main|Bracing (aeronautics)}}
Bracing struts and wires of many kinds were extensively used in early [[aircraft]] to stiffen and strengthen, and sometimes even to form, the main functional airframe. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s they fell out of use in favour of the low drag [[cantilever]] construction. Most aircraft bracing struts are principally loaded in compression, with wires taking the tension loads. Lift struts came into increasing use during the changeover period and remain in use on smaller aircraft today where ultimate performance is not an issue. Typically, they are applied to a high wing [[monoplane]] and act in tension during flight.

Struts have also been widely used for purely structural reasons to attach engines, [[landing gear]] and other loads. The oil-sprung legs of retractable landing gear are still called ''[[Oleo strut]]s''.