View Full Version : King Air, Brakes
A recent discussion at a safety meeting was regarding setting the brakes when parking, say for a day.
One opinion was that setting them for periods of time was not a good idea because seals may be damaged by the pressure if left on for awhile, such as after a long taxi on a hot day and they eventually bleed down so they are only really on for a short period of time. Also If the brakes were set on a cool morning, the heat of the ramp would increase the pressure and blow the seals.
The other opinion was that if chocks are not available nothing is hurt by leaving them on.
Anybody want to jump into the fray... ? :)
angelorange
1st Dec 2006, 12:19
One can't depend on the parking brake alone, especially on sloping ground, so always carry a spare set of nose wheel chocks to be used when the handling agent/ground crew neglect to supply any.
Mark Achten
2nd Dec 2006, 14:47
The Parking Brake, to set or not set is based on the situation at hand.
Did you just land and brake hard and or did you have your feet on the brakes while taxing in? Those brakes are hot! Don't set the P. Brake, chock it!
I've got King Air time and I land and taxi with my heels on the floor, prevents flat spotting the tires on landing.
Set the parking brake as part of the pre-flight insp.
Many FBO ramps require that you not set the brakes. Once you get called back a couple of times to relase the the brakes will cure a pilot of that habit.
And yes if you land at places where no service/cholks are around then carry a nice set with your N number on them.:ok:
Malcolm G O Payne
3rd Dec 2006, 16:46
A set of chocks or the nosewheel is essential. If you set the brakes it is not unknown for the brakes to release themselves as they cool down. It has happened to me!
SnowPilot
9th Dec 2006, 13:00
First of all the chances of hot brakes on a king air are pretty slim unless you just landed short and really needed them. Most the time the props do a fine job slowing down and using them instead of brakes for taxing. Plus if they did get hot they cool down quick because they have quite a bit of air passing over them.
When shutting down for the day I'll make sure the chocks are placed on both mains because the plane can caster quite a bit on the nosewheel. Especially with that big tail.
Setting the parking break can cause long term damage in terms of warped brakes and stressing the lines. Chalks are a much easier and cheaper solution.
stevef
9th Dec 2006, 15:35
Most aircraft hydraulic flexible pipes are manufactured from Aeroquip high pressure hose and for hydraulic systems that operate at 3000 psi, the rig pressure test is 4500 psi. Same applies to the rigid pipes. Someone I know who attended a hose manufacturing course saw a demonstration in which a pipe was tested to destruction. It failed at 21000 psi. So your brake lines are pretty tough!
I've found that most brake seal leaks tend to occur in cold weather, irrespective of whether the parking brake has been set.