What happens to the total moments if the landing gear moves forward during retraction?

When landing gear is retracted, its position relative to the aircraft's center of gravity changes. If the landing gear moves forward during retraction, it shifts the weight distribution of the aircraft. Moments, in a mechanical sense, are calculated as the product of force and the distance from a pivot point, often the center of gravity in aircraft.

If the landing gear moves forward, it reduces the distance between the center of gravity and the landing gear's weight. Consequently, this reduces the moment created by the landing gear about the center of gravity. Since the total moments of an aircraft are influenced by its weight distribution and how far those weights are from the center of gravity, moving the landing gear forward effectively decreases the total moments acting on the aircraft.

This principle of moments explains why the total moments decrease in this scenario: the change in position of the landing gear leads to a shift in the balance of forces acting on the aircraft.