Regaining Currency , Tailwheel or Nosewheel ?

[Colonel]

if you need the brakes to keep it straight on the runway you are behind it control wise

Indeed.  Here's the problem: brakes are pretty much
useless on a light aircraft - they're not like on a car.

If there's daylight between the tires and the pavement,
well, they're not going to slow you down much.

Even when the tires are on the pavement, if you're
going any speed at all - and that's when you're badly
going to need them - the wings are going to be developing
substantial lift, so there is no weight on the tires.

You hit the brakes, they just lock up, it doesn't
slow you down much, and you destroy them by
flatspotting them.



Learn to fly without the brakes.  They are really only
required during the runup, and when turning out of
a really strong wind, when the MF wants to weathervane.

And oh yeah if you are totally out of control.

It happens, especially when something breaks
in the tail - happens depressingly often - and
the tailwheel gets pulled full sideways.  You
can use the brakes then, for whatever good
they will do you.

Without anti-skid (L39 has it, F-86 does not)
might be best to pump the brakes.  Sliding
friction is minimal.  Try to maintain static
friction.

Ever notice that flying always ends up as a
discussion about physics?  At least, it does
with me.

If you are a pilot, learn about Newtonian
mechanics.  Because, that's what you do.

Flying an airplane without learning about
physics is like going to the casino and not
counting cards.  Not sure I understand.

[Colonel]

PS  I think that light trainers should have half of
their brake fluid drained out.  Builds character.

I remember we were doing some Pitts formation,
and Bob discovered his Pitts had a totally flat
right brake, after we were all strapped in.

Crosswind was pretty strong from the right.  I
told him he didn't need a right brake.

He asked how he was going to do a 90 degree
turn right.  I told him to do a 270 turn left  ;D

We had a great flight, and his landing was
uneventful.  Brakes are useless on light aircraft.
I hate them.  You don't get a short landing
by jamming on the brakes after landing.  You
get a short landing by getting your speed down,
because kinetic energy is a function of velocity
SQUARED.

See what I mean about flying and physics?

PS  Learn to count cards.  It's really not that
hard, like lane-splitting it just requires some
concentration.

[Colonel]

Chuck and I keep thinking that your primary flight
instructor might mention it at some point!

[Colonel]

FTGU and the FTM really should have one sentence
on this, between them.

[Gravel Digger]

if you need the brakes to keep it straight on the runway you are behind it control wise

Indeed.  Here's the problem: brakes are pretty much
useless on a light aircraft - they're not like on a car.

If there's daylight between the tires and the pavement,
well, they're not going to slow you down much.

Even when the tires are on the pavement, if you're
going any speed at all - and that's when you're badly
going to need them - the wings are going to be developing
substantial lift, so there is no weight on the tires.

You hit the brakes, they just lock up, it doesn't
slow you down much, and you destroy them by
flatspotting them.



Learn to fly without the brakes.  They are really only
required during the runup, and when turning out of
a really strong wind, when the MF wants to weathervane.

And oh yeah if you are totally out of control.

This should be in a "things not to do" thread, that is stickied, for all pilots to read, rather than learn the hard way.  :D

If we need a sticky to keep people from doing the above, then things are a lot worse than I had originally imagined.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

[quote]If this is a unique mistake that is out of the ordinary, why did we ever discuss it and why does colonel mention the difference between brakes on cars and brakes on airplanes?[/quote]

Cars don't have wings on them that make the weight on the wheels lighter the faster the car goes.

[Colonel]

Actually any vehicle can end up inadvertently
creating enormous lift:

[youtube][/youtube]

[youtube][/youtube]

I'd log 0.1 for any of those  :o

Back to physics ... lift is proportional to the
coefficient of lift times velocity SQUARED

The latter of which can get big enough, that
it doesn't matter much what your Cl curve
looks like - as long as it's a positive number. 

You get a couple of degrees of alpha and you're
gonna need a parachute.

Look at the profile of this car:



Remind you of a wing?  What is that body going
to do, with air going under it and over it?

Ever wonder why fast cars have front spoilers
that scrape the ground?



Very Bad Things happen when you get air
under a car at 180+ mph:



You can't see it, but air has lots of mass.