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<< Lancair Builders' Mail List >>
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Thought I would take a chance and share an idea I have for upgrading the
brakes on my LN320 and solicit feedback from others as to their opinion of
my idea. I want to point out before your read further that this is my
personal opinion and not a suggestion for others to follow. With that said I
began researching an alternate braking solution for my LN320 as I have been
less than happy with the braking performance of the current Matco Single
Piston Wheel and Brake Assemblies.
I recently replaced the original Matco MC-5 self contained master cylinders
with MC-4 units and a remote reservoir. As part of the brake replacement I
installed new wheels and brake calipers, all of the latest revision from
Matco / Lancair. My rationale for doing this was in part due to the addition
of a second set of rudder pedals and the desire to improve braking. The
addition of a remote reservoir was for ease of bleeding and greater
fluid capacity.
The upgrade to the latest single piston brake calipers and master cylinders
did improve my braking though to date I am not all that pleased with the
level of improvement. Next I visited the Matco WWW site
http://www.matcomfg.com/ to review their product line and determine if there
was a better braking solution for my LN320. Reviewing the 5" wheel products
I came accross http://www.matcomfg.com/specs/w51lt.htm the W51LT Triple
Piston Brake Assembly. Upon reading the product description and product
applicability I noted the first paragraph with the following applicability
statement: 'This wheel and brake assembly is designed for use on high
performance aircraft from 1,2000-3,000 pounds with landing speeds 60-90
knots.' To me that certainly fit the description of my LN320.
Next I sent an email to Matco Technical Support and requested more
information about this product and to ascertain the feasability of a
retrofit. The response I received from Matco was for a request for more
information. They felt that the LN320 did not need the extra braking power
that would be realized by the W51LT product and that the current single
caliper brake was adequate. In my response I mentioned that my approach to
landing speed range was 90 - 100 Mph with 15 - 20 degrees of flaps. My over
the fence speed was 90 Mph with touchdown occuring around 80 Mph. I fly out
of a 2600 x 75 ' hard surface runway and generally use 2/3 of the runway
length to stop with some brake fade experienced toward the last 1/3 - 1/4 of
the runway.
I received the following response from Matco:
From: MATCO mfg
To: Steven B. Janicki
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2000 7:29 AM
Subject: Re: Wheels for Lancair 320
Dear Mr. Janicki:
Based on the information you supplied, the triple piston brake assembly
would work best with your aircraft. Pricing for this wheel brake system
(assuming you continue to use your current wheel assembly and upgrade only
your brake system) is $112.84 each for the brake assembly plus $67.71 each
for the brake disk. This would be approximately $385 per aircraft plus
shipping.
You may also want to check with your local distributors. Our MATCO part
number is B5T for the brake assembly and D5T for the brake disk. Many
companies such as Aircraft Spruce offer significant discounts to their
customers.
Please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.
Sincerely,
Phyllis Montgomery
MATCO mfg
Any thoughts on this course of action would be appreciated.
Regards,
Steven
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LML website: http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html
Builders' Bookstore: http://www.buildersbooks.com/lancair
Please send your photos and drawings to marvkaye@olsusa.com.
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