Why is the nose wheel smaller?
Is there a ground handling reason why the nose wheel or tire (tyre for my UK friends ) is smaller than the main gear tire(s) on most conventional tricycle aircraft? The Horton 229 flying wing seems to be an outlier, perhaps some others. I realize the nose wheel usually has lighter loading than the main gear, but it would seem simpler logistics wise if all the tires were the same, especially for a small bush plane or such. I also realize the smaller the tire the less weight and drag. Any handling reasons?