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Old 17th Oct 2009, 11:33
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Tee Emm
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Australia
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Sounds like you are talking about Canberra or Alice. Use of any autobrakes will give you increased brake temperatures since the brakes bite immediately on touch down. This despite reverse will cause the autobrakes to back off. It is braking at the high speed high energy portion of the landing that causes the brake temp increase.

The original history behind setting an autobrake figure was if you needed the brakes immediately on touch down on a limiting runway (and that does not mean you have 1500 ft to spare but a real short runway for the landing weight) - or a strong crosswind on a limiting runway or slippery runways or using a higher than normal approach speed on a limiting runway. Of course if your operation requires an early turn-off which would in fact now convert your landing length into being limiting, then autobrakes would be an option. But to blindly have the autobrakes on for every single landing regardless of runway length well in excess of performance limit, of course is asking for hotter than normal brakes. As was pointed out this can affect turn-around time.

On the other hand where local noise abatement rules dictate the use of reverse idle only then be prepared for hotter brakes. As Boeing recommend, prompt activation of full reverse in conjunction with accurate threshold speeds and touch down point will normally obviate the need to use auto brakes and in most cases the brakes need not be applied until 80 knots of lower where energy is less. In real life autobrake use neatly disguises sloppy airspeed control and long touch downs.

So if your turn-around times are marginal because of brake heat, simply improve your flying skills to tighter tolerances, don't use autobrakes unless operationally necessary and the problem of hot brakes diminishes.
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