On Jul 19, 3:54*am, Stealth Pilot
wrote:


as I put it in the subject line aircraft brakes were never designed
for stopping aircraft. they were designed to hold aircraft.
now that may sound like semantic nonsense but it is true.

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That is what I was taught. The distinction was based on breaking
surface area.

Military and commercial aircraft, meaning those having a need to bring
the loaded airplane to a full stop AND TO HOLD IT THERE during run-up
or whatever, were often fitted with brake drums rather than pucks &
rotors, since you could get more breaking surface for less weight when
using a drum & shoe arrangement.

However, modern puck & rotor systems commonly use calipers that
present a puck to each side of the rotor, allowing you to double the
breaking surface for only a modest increase in weight.

The down-side here is the need to get rid of the heat such systems can
produce when going for a full-stop.

Some modern-day systems offer a dual system, with single-pucks
intended to do the slowing/steering and dual pucks coming on-line to
provide the stoping & holding.

-R.S.Hoover