Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: Michael Perez
Good People:I'm starting to work on my brakes and I need some honest opinions. I have builta wooden straight axle gear for my Piet and am having trouble deciding on whatto use for brakes. My original preference, strictly for appearance, would beto use band brakes. Next in line would be mechanical drum brakes and finallymechanical disk brakes. I am currently flying a TriPacer with hydraulic drumbrakes, but they are not independently operated. The brakes are marginal on theTriPacer so they barely hold on runup. Most of my flying is off of paved strips,though my preference is to use grass. Those of you that have band brakes, what diameter is the drum and how satisfiedare you with the performance, especially on pavement. Those of you that havedrum brakes, again what size is the drum and how well are they performing on pavement.Walt Evans and Don Emch I know that both of you are using 4-1/2 inchAzusa drums and are happy with them, but how well do they work on paved strips?I was thinking about going with 6 inch bands or 6 inch Azusa drums, but if the4-1/2 inch work OK I don't want to spend the extra money. Plus I want to keepthe brakes as unobtrusive as possible.Richard SchreiberValparaiso, Indiana________________________________________________________________________________Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2009 15:00:10 -0800 (PST)

Original Posted By: Richard Schreiber
I had mechanical band brakes on another homebuilt, a Kolb Firestar, and while they worked, they often needed adjustment. I much prefer the hydraulic disk brakes on the Skywagon. They are reliable, don't need adjustment, and are very easy to maintain.Toe/heel/hand, that's up to you. I do prefer having the capability of differential braking just for the increased control authority that provides.David Paule ----- Original Message -----