Brakes Off? What's it all about?
Idle discussion in the pub yesterday and we drew a blank - if any expert out there can help, we'd be very interested:
For most, if not all light aircraft, the first checklist item on the DW checks is 'Brakes off'. Questions are - why would you have the brakes on? Wouldn't 'Brakes - pressure check' be a more useful and appropriate item, since no one I know of ever puts the brakes on after take-off (save for the little dab to stop the wheels rolling before retraction)?
If anyone can throw any light on the reason for this item, we're all ears...