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parking brake kluge

Jake14

Well Known Member
Thought I'd never need a parking brake on my 14 so didn't install one. Then on a trip to Cedar City UT.... late afternoon, no-one around on the empty ramp, winds gusting 30+ kt, the airplane wouldn't stay put to tie it down. Made the dumb move of waiting for a lull and jumped out just as the wind picked up again. It was a tail wind and I couldn't hold the airplane from the front and kept being slowly pushed back...very uncomfortable situation and totally my fault. Finally managed to kick off a shoe and push it under the nose wheel which held it long enough to get a rope on.

Expecting more wind on the way home I kluged up a temporary one-wheel fix with a 2X2 and a bungee cord. Seems to work ok, but thinking about getting the parking brake option :)

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Very rarely use mine, but it is really nice when I have used it. Cable airport in Southern California comes to mind.
 
Do you have a Bogart tow bar? Go find some sticks, duct tape them on the end of the tow bar. Put the sticks thru holes near the top of the brake pedals, push the tow bar handle down against the seat back, use seat belt to hold it down while you get out and tie down. When you get home replace the sticks and tape with something a bit nicer.
 
The Matco hydraulic line-lock parking brake valve is an excellent item to install. It's simple and very effective.

Yes, my airplane has a tendency to walk away from me if I turn my back on it on a windy ramp. It's a most disconcerting feeling to see it moving on its own. The parking brake is a godsend for windy or sloped ramps and parking areas.
 
For a while I was hangar'd at an airport (KCSV) whose self-serve AvGas pavement had a 3 to 5 percent slope. I was glad I installed the parking brake. (The Jet A ramp area was flatter).
 
Thought I'd never need a parking brake on my 14 so didn't install one. Then on a trip to Cedar City UT.... late afternoon, no-one around on the empty ramp, winds gusting 30+ kt, the airplane wouldn't stay put to tie it down. Made the dumb move of waiting for a lull and jumped out just as the wind picked up again. It was a tail wind and I couldn't hold the airplane from the front and kept being slowly pushed back...very uncomfortable situation and totally my fault. Finally managed to kick off a shoe and push it under the nose wheel which held it long enough to get a rope on.

Expecting more wind on the way home I kluged up a temporary one-wheel fix with a 2X2 and a bungee cord. Seems to work ok, but thinking about getting the parking brake option :)

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Jake,

Good evening. It looks like you already have the upgraded Teflon brake line kit from us. Give me a call tomorrow, and we can discuss the upgrade process to the PB if you want to do the swap.

Take care,
Steve
 
Reading parking brake threads I feel like the odd one out. I never considered not installing one. I seem to use them even if its a calm/clear day with/without chocks. Why not use it if its available? Stuff happens.

Of course the exception is if I park someplace with line services. Then I have that discussion with the line service or front counter to be aware the state of the park brake or if the airplane needs to be moved, and adjust accordingly.
 
just as a follow-up, I finally got around to installing the Matco parking brake valve. Fairly straightforward with the 2 additional Aircraft Specialty hoses and works great.

A nice benefit is that you can jump start the airplane. set the parking brake and get out to disconnect the cables without shutting off the engine or asking someone else to endanger themselves close to the prop. The PB holds the airplane up to a static rpm of around 2400

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First, jump starting the airplane is usually a bad idea. Launching with a discharged battery can heat the alternator and/or battery to failure. Burn out a couple of diodes and you've got the proverbial "total electrical failure" with a dead battery as backup.

Parking brakes are real handy and be aware that setting it when the brakes are hot can make it hard to get the brake to release when it's time to go. Ask me how I know.

Ed Holyoke
 
... set the parking brake and get out to disconnect the cables without shutting off the engine or asking someone else to endanger themselves close to the prop. ...
I've accidentally bumped the controls getting into or out of an aircraft - please be careful, that could be the start of a bad day if it happens with the engine running and you just fell out of it onto the ramp.
 
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Leaving brake pressure applied for an extended period may have undesirable results. You should always chock and release PB.
 
Being a Little Civil

A little bit of civil engineering.

Without taking into account the wind, for every sloped surface there is an orientation of the plane where it will not roll. And an orientation of the plane where if rolls really fast. So if a pilot does not have a parking brake, he can point the plane in a direction that does not cause a roll, get out and secure a wheel, and then re orientate the plane.

If there is wind, this doesn't always work. That is why I am installing a parking brake.
 
A little bit of civil engineering.

Without taking into account the wind, for every sloped surface there is an orientation of the plane where it will not roll. And an orientation of the plane where if rolls really fast. So if a pilot does not have a parking brake, he can point the plane in a direction that does not cause a roll, get out and secure a wheel, and then re orientate the plane.

If there is wind, this doesn't always work. That is why I am installing a parking brake.

When I lived on the east coast, I could always count on rolling the tailwheel into the grass before shutdown. West coast, that isn’t always an option, as the concrete often has a pretty good step into the gravel.. Also the winds out west don’t always allow for it either. I’m still hesitant to install a parking brake on a tailwheel aircraft.. for one, I don’t care to start the engine on a tailwheel with the brake set. If the throttle is too much, or gets bumped, I could see it going over. By holding the brakes, you could release pressure and that may prevent or slow the tail rise. I also had a friend doing phase one for a builder who installed the PB, but didn’t tell the pilot, and didn’t hook up the cable to the lever. After one of the flights, the plane came to a stop and couldn’t be rolled clear of the runway. Turns out the lever vibrated or was moved somehow to the closed position and when he applied brakes, the valve trapped the pressure. I cringe thinking what could have happened if the pilot was in the habit of “testing” the brakes on short final..
 
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