Having Brake problems!
- Thread starter mark
- Start date
cruiseair74372
New member
The trick is to lower your feet down to where the ball of your foot is on the rudder peddle. After you land and slow down a bit slide your feet up to get to the breaks. After a couple of times it will be easy. I let a friend fly one day at a grass strip. When we started to roll I kept telling him to push the throttle all the way in. We were running out of runway and the airplane started to lift and I noticed the tires started to skip on the grass. Thats when we figured out his feet were on the brakes. :lol: :lol:
I know this sounds strange but after 22,000 hours of flying I get the idea of not riding the breaks. What I'm saying is it's impossible to get the angle of my ankles sharp enough to stay off the breaks. I've even tried using only my big toes on the very bottom of the pedels and the breaks still apply!I wonder of the master cylinders have too long of a shaft?
Mark,
That drove me nuts when I first got my Cruisemaster. I thought of all sorts of solutions.
I figured I would play with it until my annual and then see if I could modify the brake pedals somehow. I was flying it with my feet all the way back and that left the brakes unavailable if I needed them in a hurry, and it also limited my ability to use the rudder since I had to move the pedals from the hip instead of the ankles.
One day I was ready to land and I thought maybe I would move my feet up a little. Long story slightly shorter, I found the right spot. Keep experimenting, it's there somewhere.
In my case, I would guess that my foot is at about a 45 degree angle with the toes at the very bottom of the toe part of the pedal and the heels at the very rear of the metal plate on the floor. That's with size twelves in a 14-19-2. From that position I can use my ankles to work the rudders and I need merely push my toes (not my foot) down to get all the brake I need.
I like it much better now, but every once in a while I'll feel a little extra acceleration on lift-off that tells me I still occasionally drag the brakes. I'm working on that muscle-memory thingy.
Chuck
That drove me nuts when I first got my Cruisemaster. I thought of all sorts of solutions.
I figured I would play with it until my annual and then see if I could modify the brake pedals somehow. I was flying it with my feet all the way back and that left the brakes unavailable if I needed them in a hurry, and it also limited my ability to use the rudder since I had to move the pedals from the hip instead of the ankles.
One day I was ready to land and I thought maybe I would move my feet up a little. Long story slightly shorter, I found the right spot. Keep experimenting, it's there somewhere.
In my case, I would guess that my foot is at about a 45 degree angle with the toes at the very bottom of the toe part of the pedal and the heels at the very rear of the metal plate on the floor. That's with size twelves in a 14-19-2. From that position I can use my ankles to work the rudders and I need merely push my toes (not my foot) down to get all the brake I need.
I like it much better now, but every once in a while I'll feel a little extra acceleration on lift-off that tells me I still occasionally drag the brakes. I'm working on that muscle-memory thingy.
Chuck
cruiseair74372
New member
Thought I said that before I got jumped on. :roll: :roll:
MARK, Call James and Madelyn Greene at 770-446-6797. They told me they had the same problem with their brakes on a 14-13-2 and found a solution. The Greene sell brakes parts for the Bodell wheels and other parts. They really helped me out, and like most Bellanca owner theirs pretty friendly.
Larry Lowenkron
New member
Mark , if it would help, I would be glad to send you a copy of a portion of the 337 where my brakes were modified on my Cruisair. Send me you email, and I will send you an Adobe copy of the 337 (both sides) and the addendum for that mod. This 337 had 13(!) addendums attached. Wonder if you can still do that today?
Larry
llowenkron@yahoo.com
Larry
llowenkron@yahoo.com