RMC,
I find your reply interesting. That one TP should not have been working on certification, IMHO.
Regarding mechanical stops, in all the transport aircraft (and, as there have been lots of them, simulators) I've flown, I have had no problems reaching definite mechanical stops on the brakes during RTOs. This includes the B737-NGs. It's something I check with care when I do it. I haven't flown the A340 (I did 'fly' the A340 simulator), but if it causes its pilots problems applying maximum pedal braking to a stop in the worst takeoff case, then there's a certification 'issue'. Blow me, a certification 'issue' on a big 'bus! There's a first!
John,
'Terrifying', 'horrifying' (your words) or 'awe-inspiring' (mine). It gives immense confidence to the pilot, who knows the stopping capabilities of his aircraft. These days it's often the stopping capabilities of the surface under the wheels that lets the whole thing down. High speed stopping is perhaps the most important respect in which simulators don't replicate the 'pilot experience'.