AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2018 - 100

P&E

TECHNIQUE

The real lesson is to
make a good approach,
at the appropriate
airspeed and on your
aim point, so that you
never have to use the
brakes.

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down at high speed in this type of airplane,
which has a high center of gravity and a
tailwheel, caused it to flip over onto the top
wing and the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Although the pilot had 875 total flight
hours, including 190 hours in Stearman airplanes, he stated that he had seldom used
the brakes in over 600 landings in the accident airplane. Therefore, the pilot was not
familiar with the feel and effectiveness of
the airplane's wheel brakes."
Each airplane in the formation carried a passenger from the news media,
and The Washington Post reporter
onboard this aircraft captured the landing and accident on video. The video,
shot from the front seat of the airplane,
is an excellent illustration of just how
quickly an airplane can flip over its nose
from an application of the brakes after
touchdown.
One point from the NTSB report
deserves repeating: "the pilot was not
familiar with the feel and effectiveness of
the airplane's wheel brakes." Pilots should
carefully explore the effectiveness of the
brakes on any aircraft they're operating,
especially when transitioning into a new
make or model. Gently test the brakes at
slow taxi speeds to determine exactly how
much pressure is needed, and if the brakes
have a tendency to grab.
BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF

Good brakes earn most of their salary
before any flying begins. Firm application of the brakes keeps the airplane from
creeping forward during the preflight
engine check, and the predominant use
of brakes is during taxi operations.
100 | AOPA PILOT June 2018

Differential braking in most small airplanes helps pilots make sharper turns,
which is especially handy on narrow
rural airport taxiways, or to turn around
on a grass airstrip for takeoff. Without
brakes, an airplane might need twice as
much turning radius. Brakes are especially important on tailwheel airplanes
that do not have a steerable tailwheel.
Good brakes are also essential to
swinging your airplane around to park
at a jaunty angle on the grass in front of
your airport café, earning you lots of style
points.
FEET ON THE FLOOR

A good habit to develop during takeoffs
and landings is to call out loud, along with
your other final reminders, "Heels on the
floor." This helps pilots, especially new
students, remember to keep their toes on
the rudder pedals and well away from the
toe brakes. Keep your feet away from the
brakes until you've slowed to taxi speed.
This also goes for takeoff.
Your passengers' feet are just as important. In 2015, a 2013 Waco Classic Aircraft
YMF-F5C ended a flight on its back on the
runway on San Luis Obispo, California.
The NTSB investigation revealed that
the passenger had accidentally applied the
brakes during the landing roll. Mondaymorning pilots would say the fault wasn't
the passenger's, but the pilot's failure to
properly brief his passenger.
For airliners and business jets, good
brakes plus thrust reversers allow landings on runways that don't have to be
miles long. But for general aviation pilots,
our landings should never be on a spot
where the airplane doesn't have enough
remaining runway to roll to a stop on its
own. Don't rely on the brakes. Make a
good approach, hit your aim point, and
slow gently to your taxi speed. Don't let
an air traffic controller or other airplane
traffic pressure you to slam on the brakes.
Take the time you need to safely clear the
runway. You're the pilot in command; be
in command of your airplane and your
passengers.
AOPA
DENNIS K. JOHNSON is a freelance writer

and pilot living in New York City.
http://jobs.aopa.org http://jsfirm.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2018

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