My controller buddy Matt Wells at KTFW earns his awesome controller card

7,500' to land a Cherokee without using the brakes?

Am I missing something?

o_O
 
How do you know before you’ve contacted tower that your toes brakes aren’t working? Is there more to the story before the audio begins?
 
How do you know before you’ve contacted tower that your toes brakes aren’t working? Is there more to the story before the audio begins?
Many checklists provided by schools include a brake check in the arrival checklist. So in addition to listening to ATIS/AWOS and and prepping to enter the airport environment, you check the brakes.
 
Perhaps they were holding it off the runway for the first 6500’
I got to land at WPAFB for an event, and it was Oshkosh busy! I have a picture of me on final, another guy over the numbers, and another turning off the runway. I was going well over 100 at the threshold, and used up vast amounts of runway in an undergross 172.
Of course, I wouldn't land that fast except in a hurricane; the pilot in this case could have come in as slow and steep as needed; for me, that would be as slow and steep as safe If I need to turn off at the end of a 3K or longer runway, I don't touch the brakes at all.
 
I remember hearing this on Facebook. Awesome job, he was able to keep her calm as she dealt with the brake issue. I think this shows a testament to the value of controllers also being pilots.
 
Many checklists provided by schools include a brake check in the arrival checklist. So in addition to listening to ATIS/AWOS and and prepping to enter the airport environment, you check the brakes.

Please provide many examples
 
Many checklsts provided by schools include a brake check in the arrival checklist. So in addition to listening to ATIS/AWOS and and prepping to enter the airport environment, you check the brakes.
I have never seen a checklist with a brake check before landing. But you said "school checklists", Mike, which I have truly never seen (had a private CFI).

It is not a bad idea to check brakes before landing. I will make a mental note in my head to do it during GUMPS check, once the gear is down. Thank you.

And good job by the calm controller for keeping a mentally unstable pilot from turning a non-event into full-blown Chernobyl.
 
Wait - so the pilot was pregnant, but the issue was the toe brakes on a Cherokee? Did whomever trained this person tell them that the hand brake works fine?
 
I have never seen a checklist with a brake check before landing. But you said "school checklists", Mike, which I have truly never seen (had a private CFI).

It is not a bad idea to check brakes before landing. I will make a mental note in my head to do it during GUMPS check, once the gear is down. Thank you.

And good job by the calm controller for keeping a mentally unstable pilot from turning a non-event into full-blown Chernobyl.

At least among the CFI I've trained with, the U for Undercarriage in GUMPS always included a brake check. Seems pretty universal around here among the three schools and many CFI I've used. Worked out for her, in this case. Results in three brake checks for each flight for me. Once on start of roll out of the tiedown. Once after departure, just to stop the wheels vibrating. Then on approach during the GUMPS check.
 
Wait - so the pilot was pregnant, but the issue was the toe brakes on a Cherokee? Did whomever trained this person tell them that the hand brake works fine?

Maybe not!

PA-28: I did a touch and go once in the winter, and suddenly there was a loud BANG! Turns out I had hit a chunk of ice precisely on the right brake caliper, and it fell off the plane, only attached by the hydraulic hose. I did not do a pre-landing brake check, and was therefore quite surprised when attempting to brake... The right pedal flopped flat on the cockpit floor. Left side brake was fine.

After returning (slowly) to the FBO and tiring down, I did pull the hand brake. All it did is pump the brake fluid on the left side out of the right side damaged caliper. No pressure and no brakes on either side.

-Skip
 
I broke the toe brakes on the Navion. The original Navion brake are just a hand brake. The toe brake mod uses a Cessna 172-style rudder pedal. The little tab that works the brake when you push the top of the pedal snapped. Fortunately the squishy tires on the Navion slow down real fast when you don't have power on.
 
Have a castering nose wheel and the airplane eats brakes. Always fun.
 
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