Yooper Rocketman Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 My wife and I headed out from the U.P. Of Michigan for Spruce Creek (just south of Daytona Beach) Florida yesterday, late due to fog at my home airport, destined for KMNV, Madisonville / Monroe County Airport in Tennessee for a fuel stop. This was the first flight after my left main tire on my Mooney Rocket had a new tube installed from a flat found and described in another thread. A new policy instilled in me by my IVPT instructor is to test the brakes as part of pre-landing checklist (which would come to haunt me on landing). Upon touch down, with a reasonable crosswind, I could hear light tire squeal which got progressively louder and the plane was a handful to keep on the runway as we slowed. My immediate thought was another freaking flat and I was wing low on the left side. I could NOT taxi at all once stopped so had the runway shut down. I shut down the engine and before we were out of the plane several locals ran out to see what was wrong. I gave my wife my handheld radio to monitor CTAF for traffic and then inspected the plane; a flat on the left main. After some research, while Cale from the FBO ran back for a jack, tools, and a dolly, it was determined the brake was locked. With the help of a bunch of locals we got the left tire on the dolly and, with help lifting the wing to reduce weight on this pretty questionable dolly, we got the plane pulled over to the ramp. The FBO's mechanic was on vacation in Texas and they had a part time guy on call. I told them get me some tools and I'll gladly pay whatever your FBO would charge but I was really needing to get this apart to see what I was dealing with. By the time I had the tire off (minutes) Cale found a serviceable used tire and tube. I got the tire off the rim and the serviceable one installed on the rim. Cale is a young man working on his A&P so helped where he could but I mostly did the repair. I installed the tire and when checking the brake found I couldn't compress the puck into the caliper. Cale got me a C clamp and it STILL wouldn't compress. I noticed as I worked the clamp the cup was turning so knew the cup wasn't seized to the caliper. I jumped into the plane and checked the left brake......looked fine. I then checked the parking brake knob and it was out about 1/2"????? I pushed it in and checked the caliper; the clamp had fallen off (brake had released) and the cup slid right in! I am pretty sure the park brake knob had not gotten pulled by mistake and I rarely use it (for sure didn't during any time that day). The knob pulls really easy so it may have been bumped. Not sure why I was lucky enough to only lock the left brake with a partial parking brake engagement but everything checked out after my repair and the subsequent take off there and landing in Spruce Creek were totally uneventful. The bill from the FBO: $50!!!! We dropped a $50 tip to Cale and the same to his boss. Service and hospitality like this needs to be rewarded! In the end it felt like a NASCAR pit stop as we were only delayed a little over an hour. Tom 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneymite Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 There are so many big name FBOs that provide little service, but charge big bucks, stories like this are refreshing. Have you written a review on Airnav.com? I know FBOs appreciate compliments. Thanks for sharing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted January 27, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 14 minutes ago, Mooneymite said: There are so many big name FBOs that provide little service, but charge big bucks, stories like this are refreshing. Have you written a review on Airnav.com? I know FBOs appreciate compliments. Thanks for sharing! Yep, AIRNAV review submitted this morning. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browncbr1 Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Yea, they are awesome. I fly over there all the time to shoot approaches and buy fuel. If you stop in around lunch time, there is usually spaghetti or something they want to offer up for free in exchange for good conversation and getting to know you. Good folks. We jumped over there for the eclipse too. They arranged a bluegrass gospel string band to play in the hangar. Good folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Wow, that sounds odd.. 1) great service 2) Great price 3) nice people 4) all in a brief stop 5) 6) Only one brake locked with the partial deployment of the parking brake control..? I am not super sure of the parking brake functions. I have only used it during parking on lightly sloped surfaces, and fully deployed the handle... might want to test the functions to make sure both brakes are holding pressure, and releasing pressure in a normal fashion with the handle...? I was thinking there is only one valve, and it is either open or closed. There must be two valves, in the one parking brake control. When applying the parking brake, you need to have your feet on both pedals to make the pressure, before you close the valves, holding the pressure in... Something does sound funny about the brake handle being partially engaged, and holding enough pressure to keep the one brake squeezed, but only on one side... One of us knows what conditions it takes to make this happen... the power of MS.... Anything related to the flat tire experience, or is this the other MLG wheel? Nice Pirep, Tom! Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_Belville Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 "Set parking brakes" is a line item on my pre-start and again on my pre-take off check lists so I do pull the parking brakes know out at least twice for each flight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 2 hours ago, Bob_Belville said: "Set parking brakes" is a line item on my pre-start and again on my pre-take off check lists so I do pull the parking brakes know out at least twice for each flight. It's on the checklist in my Owners Manual, but I've had the plane over 10 years and haven't pulled that knob yet . . . . For runup, I just hold the brakes, it's not that difficult. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob_Belville Posted January 28, 2018 Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 3 hours ago, Hank said: It's on the checklist in my Owners Manual, but I've had the plane over 10 years and haven't pulled that knob yet . . . . For runup, I just hold the brakes, it's not that difficult. Scofflaw... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylw314 Posted January 28, 2018 Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 If you have one brake pedal pressed and engage the parking brake, will that continue to hold pressure on just that one brake? If so, I could see that happening if the parking brake engaged while you had your foot on the left rudder. I noticed the plastic checklist that came with the plane does not include "check parking brake" on the "Before Landing" checklist, but the POH checklist does include it. My GUMPS checklist is now: "FF" - Fuel tank/fuel pump "GG" - Gear down/gear locked "levers" - Mixture/Prop/Throttle "FF" - Wing flaps/Cowl flaps "BB" - Parking brake/Seat belts 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midlifeflyer Posted January 28, 2018 Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 4 hours ago, jaylw314 said: If you have one brake pedal pressed and engage the parking brake, will that continue to hold pressure on just that one brake? If so, I could see that happening if the parking brake engaged while you had your foot on the left rudder. I noticed the plastic checklist that came with the plane does not include "check parking brake" on the "Before Landing" checklist, but the POH checklist does include it. My GUMPS checklist is now: "FF" - Fuel tank/fuel pump "GG" - Gear down/gear locked "levers" - Mixture/Prop/Throttle "FF" - Wing flaps/Cowl flaps "BB" - Parking brake/Seat belts But that's not a GUMPS check. It's a FFGGLFFBB check! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooper Rocketman Posted January 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 I suspect when I "checked brakes" just before dropping the gear I applied a little more pressure to the left peddle. Witnesses at the airport said they heard tire squeal from the point of first contact with the runway, suggesting the tire was locked before touchdown. Since I was slowing quickly enough anyway and had crosswind from my left, I was initially using only left rudder. As I slowed, and it was pulling hard to the left, I had full right rudder but still applied no brakes. By then it was evident I was stopping fast enough I needed no brakes. Having never applied any brakes during the landing I believe that's why the right side didn't lock up. Needless to say, all brake functions including parking brakes were checked before my next takeoff. I had plenty of incentive to insure everything was working correctly as my next landing was going to be in the dark. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisk Posted January 28, 2018 Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 Very nice to share your positive experience at KMNV! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylw314 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 19 hours ago, midlifeflyer said: But that's not a GUMPS check. It's a FFGGLFFBB check! I find FGLFB much easier to pronounce than GUMPS Really, it's mentally more efficient for me to do two to three items for each letter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midlifeflyer Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 7 hours ago, jaylw314 said: I find FGLFB much easier to pronounce than GUMPS Really, it's mentally more efficient for me to do two to three items for each letter. It's mentally more efficient for me to avoid mnemonics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1964-M20E Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Tom Good story with good ending relatively speaking. Yes there are some good shops out there that will bend over backwards to help you and not over charge you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinwing Posted February 1, 2018 Report Share Posted February 1, 2018 I had an embarrassing moment flying my dad out of a Canadian fishing lodge.After landing ,I set the parking brakes on a Baron....something I never do.Anyway a week later on startup to depart,I couldn't figure out why 600 hp was not enough to taxi out of the grass onto the strip....I actually shut down and inspected the tires and gear for flats.... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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