Hi Myron, what Colin says is partly true. He is right of course hydraulic disk brakes are better for stopping, and they do tend to fade less under heavy use, but KR2 brakes should not get hot so fade and wear are not an issue.
I would dispute what is said about warping, I have never in 40 years of driving encountered a single problem with well maintained drum brakes, but I have certainly experienced problems with warped and broken disks, but what happens on cars again is totally irrelevant to light aircraft use. I further agree that cable operated disk brakes are rubbish from my experience on karts and mountain bikes. The fact that lots of people fit hydraulic disks, and get away with using them with the tail up doesn't alter the basic fact that powerful brakes increase the chance of nosing over. I know that there are people whose personal crosswind limits are far higher than mine, perhaps they can get away with all sorts of tricks that catch out us mere mortals. One last thought, you are gently braking with the tail up when the right wheel hits a puddle of water... I hope you have good reflexes Pete > Gentlemen, > One reason to NOT use drum brakes is that they are OLD TECHNOLOGY! Drums > react much slower than discs; they wear faster, warp when heated, lock up at > unexpected times, which is why you got scared Pete; and are much harder to > get quality parts for. My Cleveland brakes are the exact same as what is on > the Cessna 152 from the factory and work flawlessly, as has EVERY aircraft > that I have flown in the last 5 years. NONE of them use drum brakes! Period! > Not meant as a slam Pete, just please do not send someone down a road that > was abandoned a LONG time ago for a good reason. Hydraulic brake technology > is so good now, you will find examples on everything from 4 runners to 4 > wheel drives to family cars with 4 wheel disc brakes. Heck even go-carts now > have disc brakes, though some may be mechanical versions. > >
