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Old 21st Apr 2010, 05:12
  #30 (permalink)  
Dundiggin'
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Finchampstead
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CoffmanStarter.....Checks before landing

I was learning to fly the Chippie at Halton in the '90s. What a fantastic aircraft! However, it did have the odd 'quirk; namely the setting of the Brakes which I think must have been the most complicated system ever designed. Having 'set' the brakes by pulling on '5 clicks' on the handbrake you could achieve 'differential braking ' for taxiing. But if you were landing on a hard surface only, you had to pull on the '5 clicks' prior to landing in order to maintain directional control on the runway.

I remember going downwind at Benson on a sunny Sunday afternoon voicing the Pre-Landing checks and included 'Brakes - 5 clicks' . My instructor said 'Have you applied the handbrake?' I said 'Yes but only 5 clicks'. He said 'you don't need that'. I said 'My very experienced mate says that if I don't add 5 clicks we could lose control on landing'. Anyway I left the '5 clicks' on and it was lucky I had as the runway lights loomed large at one point in the procedure and I stuck in a 'bootfull' of rudder and avoided going off the side of the runway. My instructor said He'd never heard of it for landing. Anyone know any different?
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