A320 how to brake properly
 

Hello all,

I’m trying to improve my braking on A320/A321. Although I know the theory regarding reducing brake applications in order to save the brake and preventing from getting hot, I need your advice on this.

if I can keep A/brake low until taxi speed, this works fine. If during roll out I have to go on manual braking at high speed in order to decelerate properly I try to apply one progressive brake application but I often end up with the left brake significantly hotter than the right. For example left 380C and right 220C. I try to keep in mind this trying to apply stronger right pressure but this doesn’t seem to work. Can I ask some advices on this?

Also on taxi out/in I maybe struggle when there is upslope, maybe braking too much then ending applying some thrust or approaching the turn, braking to the correct speed but then as the aircraft accelerates I have to brake in the turn

Next time you drive your car, find a time when there’s nothing behind you and try braking with your left foot.

You’ll never get it perfectly balanced, you can compensate but generally the left brakes get hammered more than the right.

Don't worry about it. Flew it for 10 years and had the same result. I'm a **** pilot though! Hope that makes you feel better.

Make sure your feet are ALL the way up to the top of the pedals before you initiate manual braking (so you can feel your toes pushing up against the “lip” on top of the pedal).

The fulcrum point is high, so will not get full brake authority if your feet are not all the way up there. One foot still being slightly lower while braking is the most common cause I have seen of a consistently uneven brake temperature both taxi and landing. Generally you will be subconsciously compensating for the uneven braking with slight rudder pressure opposite the stronger foot, which tends to make it worse.

Easy to see from the jump seat, and easy to fix!

The left/right brake temperature variation is extremely easy to do even for experienced pilots. I took me many years to consciously use my right foot more. However, it's not the end of the world. During the taxi to stand simply use the cooler brakes more and counteract with the tiller. I'm asking FOs sometimes to try this and so far the result is great. The controllability doesn't suffer any more than SE taxi IMHO. A 150/280 split can be made something like 240/300 just before turning into stand. For those of us without brake fans, this can reduce the turnaround by 15-30 mins.