Rick Durden wrote:
Paul,

Tapping the brakes prior to retraction is one of aviation's old wives
tales that just hangs in there. The gear wells are large enough to
hold the tires even if they have some bulge from spinning (which isn't
much anyway on our slow little bugsmashers). There are some
transports in which the manual calls for tapping the brakes and some
in which it specifically says not to as the sudden stop on large tires
and wheels can cause the tire to slide on the rim.

The POH on my Trinidad (1986 TB21) calls for applying the brakes before
retracting the gear. Is there really no reason for this?

--
David Rind