From: Lee810@aol.com
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 1999 10:30:15 EST
Subject: COZY: Re: [c-a] how much heat

In a message dated 2/5/99 11:45:15 PM Mountain Standard Time,
ccordyjr@pyramid.net writes:

> Last week someone pointed out that you can taxi in a cross wind by 
>  braking heavily to turn the plane, then letting it roll freely in an arc 
>  until it needs another direction correction.  Unless there is some second 
>  order effect that I don't see, this will not help.  You may use the 
>  brakes much less time but you are using them much harder during that time.

I use this technique on take off and it works pretty well on takeoff.  The
EZ's have a tendency to weathervane into to the wind so if you line up on the
windward side of the runway and point the nose to the leeward side you get a
chance to accelerate before you need to apply the brake.  When you do apply
the brake, you do it so as to overcorrect and get the nose pointed again
toward the leeward side of the runway.  What you're really trying to do reduce
the brake drag to get the plane going fast enough so that the rudders become
effective.  They have enough leverage sitting out at the end of the wings that
their drag doesn't affect the acceleration of the plane nearly as much as the
brake, which has only a very small amount of leverage to steer the plane.

If you attempt to use the brake to hold the plane on the center of the runway
in a strong crosswind, the drag can be so substantial that you'll never get
airborne.  The rudders on the LongEZ were increased in size to help alleviate
this problem by becoming effective at lower speeds.  I am still using the
small original rudders so I am very familiar with this issue.  

At the time the larger rudders were implemented, Rutan was considering
adapting some type of nosewheel steering to help solve the problem.  This
would have been very difficult to do on an EZ.

As far as taxiing, the second order effect is that the castoring nose wheel
pivot has some friction in it (~5 lbs).  This helps to 'lock in' a turn and
thus reduces the amount that you have to ride the brake in a strong crosswind.
It's somewhat like having an intermittently steerable nosewheel.  Your path is
actually a series of scallops and this is very beneficial in preventing brake
fade.   It also helps to have a wide taxiway.  If you ride a brake for an
extended period of time, it will eventually fade.   Since many runways are
more than a mile in length, back taxiing in a strong crosswind that distance
is often enough to completely fade the brake on the leeward side of the plane
if you can't apply it in the manner described above.  

Lee Devlin
LongEZ N36MX   Cozy under construction
http://member.aol.com/lee810

From: cdenk@ix.netcom.com
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 1999 09:54:12 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Re: COZY: Re: [c-a] how much heat

Lee wrote <is often enough to completely fade the brake on the leeward side >
Concur with everthing Lee said. I am assuming Lee does not have the Cleveland Super duty brakes 
(probably not available at the time, plus added weight, usually not installed on a Long. I have not 
noticed fade on my Cosy with the super duty brakes, usually while taxiing drag brake continually, 
bur take off is for sure Lee's scallop.

