Pietenpol-List: brake lines
Posted: Fri May 19, 2006 8:07 pm
Original Posted By: Clif Dawson
Howdy, low 'n' slow fliers;It's been so lazy and quiet here lately that I thought I'd throw out a little item for discussion. I've been reworking the brakes on 41CC so I'm attentive to details on brakes just now. Corky ran the brake lines in soft aluminum but they got considerable damage and I've decided to replace them with nylaflow tubing. I don't care much for flare fittings.Anyway, I've taken great pains to route the lines snug to the gear legs, well secured, and around the back of the brakes, always keeping in mind operation off of grass. To me, that's half the enjoyment of these airplanes- flying off of grass, dirt, and sod. And I've operated out of some REAL grass... where it gets in your tailwheel, up in the gear, and isn't this low-to-the-ground stuff. So my concern has been to keep the brake lines in a position where twigs or grass won't snag the lines or tear at them.Walking the flightline at the SWRFI event last weekend, I was dismayed to see how many aircraft have the brake lines out in the breeze, willy-nilly. Even the RVs and others with the one-piece spring gear that is gun-drilled for the lines, when they get down to the brakes they have an open loop of flex hose or nylaflow tubing, just hanging out there inches from the ground, exposed where any passing clump of grass or twig can rip at it. Most horrifying were some of the ultralights and light planes, one or two of which had nylaflow tubing with absolutely nothing holding them to the gear legs or anything else between the exit from the fuselage and the brake mechanism... just a couple of feet of loose tubing out in the breeze. I couldn't believe that any inspector would pass such an installation, grass operations or not. Oh, and even some of the certified aircraft have loops of flex brake hose out there in the breeze, away from any protection and some of them out ahead of the wheel where even the brake doesn't protect the line.Maybe I'm being overly cautious here. Anybody have any comments on brake line routing?Oscar ZunigaSan Antonio, TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net________________________________________________________________________________Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 19:33:47 -0700
Howdy, low 'n' slow fliers;It's been so lazy and quiet here lately that I thought I'd throw out a little item for discussion. I've been reworking the brakes on 41CC so I'm attentive to details on brakes just now. Corky ran the brake lines in soft aluminum but they got considerable damage and I've decided to replace them with nylaflow tubing. I don't care much for flare fittings.Anyway, I've taken great pains to route the lines snug to the gear legs, well secured, and around the back of the brakes, always keeping in mind operation off of grass. To me, that's half the enjoyment of these airplanes- flying off of grass, dirt, and sod. And I've operated out of some REAL grass... where it gets in your tailwheel, up in the gear, and isn't this low-to-the-ground stuff. So my concern has been to keep the brake lines in a position where twigs or grass won't snag the lines or tear at them.Walking the flightline at the SWRFI event last weekend, I was dismayed to see how many aircraft have the brake lines out in the breeze, willy-nilly. Even the RVs and others with the one-piece spring gear that is gun-drilled for the lines, when they get down to the brakes they have an open loop of flex hose or nylaflow tubing, just hanging out there inches from the ground, exposed where any passing clump of grass or twig can rip at it. Most horrifying were some of the ultralights and light planes, one or two of which had nylaflow tubing with absolutely nothing holding them to the gear legs or anything else between the exit from the fuselage and the brake mechanism... just a couple of feet of loose tubing out in the breeze. I couldn't believe that any inspector would pass such an installation, grass operations or not. Oh, and even some of the certified aircraft have loops of flex brake hose out there in the breeze, away from any protection and some of them out ahead of the wheel where even the brake doesn't protect the line.Maybe I'm being overly cautious here. Anybody have any comments on brake line routing?Oscar ZunigaSan Antonio, TXmailto: taildrags(at)hotmail.comwebsite at http://www.flysquirrel.net________________________________________________________________________________Date: Fri, 19 May 2006 19:33:47 -0700