Brakes

[ianboag]

One gets a bit embarrassed at having to get out and swing the tail occasionally because of the wide turning circle. Has anyone out there made a split (ie independent) brake setup?

 

 

[jetjr]

Yep theres a guy in Vic, I just cant find his contact details, uses 2 levers

 

JR

 

 

[Yenn]

There are many ways of getting independent brakes. First question is, what is your plane? Second nosewheel or tailwheel? Third, what type of brakes do you have now?

 

As an alternative to differential brakes, you could try full rudder and give a burst of throttle, that was the way to steer the old taildraggers.

 

 

[ianboag]

J200. Nosewheel.

 

I get a bit nervous about the full-rudder-burst-of-power thing when I'm trying to turn to avoid an obstacle (like a fence in front of me) or follow a taxiway or whatever. If the turn doesn't happen then the fact that I applied a burst of power can make things worse ...

 

It's quite livable-with, but differential brakes like the rest of the world would be sort of nice if it's not too hard to do.

 

IB

 

 

[Guest Ken deVos]

Yep theres a guy in Vic, I just cant find his contact details, uses 2 leversJR

Try the following link:

 

http://www.boydair.com/New%20J160.html

 

 

[Guest brentc]

Differential brakes aren't always the answer however, as often in aircraft with differential brakes have a semi-castoring nose-wheel. By applying differential braking in a Jab, all you'll end up doing is putting sideways pressure on the nose wheel assembly. The only safe exception to this would be on gravel or perhaps grass where the front wheel can freely skid sideways.

 

Perhaps an investment in time can be made where rudder & nosewheel travel could be increased potentially by grinding the rudder stops and adjusting the pedal stops at the firewall level.

 

 

[ianboag]

True. That said, every Piper and Cessna tricycle aircraft has differential brakes and a non-castoring nosewheel ...... as I recall a Cub does as well (in my youth I managed to ground-loop one). I would guess the simple brake system on a Jab is dictated as much by weight considerations as anything else. Wandering round the field and looking at other microlights - the Pioneer 300 and Zenith 601 also have separate (toe) brakes and a non-castoring nosewheel.

 

 

[Modest Pilot]

Differential brakes on my J230 would be nice, I believe Jabiru have had a look at it but it's all to hard. Any ideas?

 

Having landed with a flat main ( western burrs) it's possible to stay on the strip but diff brakes would have been nice; probably safer to find a grass field.

 

In the meantime I've gone for 10 ply tyres.

 

 

[Guest brentc]

Castoring is probably not the best description I could have used. Many aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan and other smaller models have steering via the pedals but it's not directly attached like the Jabiru, it's moreso attached with a spring set-up. When you physically turn the wheel to the side from external to the aircraft or with differential brakes it will turn further to the side than if you had used the pedals themselves. I don't know the terminology for this, however it's not castoring like the Cirrus for example. Semi-Castoring perhaps?

 

The Jabiru is not conducive to this type of arrangement because the nosewheel has a limited amount of travel and no springs are involved, but like I said, for gravel and grass it would be fine. If you had 2 heavy people in the front and used them on bitumen it might be dodgey, but most bitumen strips are probably wide enough for your needs so no problem really.

 

 

[facthunter]

Non-differential brakes.

 

I find the Jab set up a bit basic, but I wouldn't advocate trying to get a sharp turn capability without a full castoring nosewheel and I don't recommend that at all, as you need to be able to steer it on landing and brakes are not the best way to do that. You can easily get the brakes fighting the nosewheel at low speed, and you will be putting big loads on both the the maingear leg (where you are applying the brake) and the nosewheel (sideways) unless you get the balance perfect. You invariably have to increase power in these circumstances and that is a pretty unfriendly thing to do near other aircraft and people. I have always recommended to shut the thing down and "manhandle it " to where you want it, if it is a tight fit. They don't weigh much! (Or park further away). A taildragger will turn on one wheel, BUT you still have to use a lot of power to do that. Not airmanship. Nev.