Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

aeroxplorer.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

221–230 of 386 posts

Re: Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

#221

Post by King-Aaron »

KennyBlanken wrote: post #179
King-Aaron wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Possibly if the pads are at extremely low wear, you would only need to replace the pads/shoes when parts are available. But if you tell pilots 'just don't use them', then they will keep using them, and those pads/shoes could wear through and begin damaging other parts of the callipers which would result in more parts requiring replacement? Not an aircraft mechanic, but just making an assumption based on the similarit…

Just as higher-end cars have brake pad wear sensors and sometimes caliper temperature monitors....commercial passenger jets, especially ones made in the last two decades or so, are instrumented up the ass. There's a Minimum Equipment List that specifies the minimum stuff a plane needs to be safe to fly, and under what conditions specific equipment can be bypassed or non-functional. I seriously doubt that overworn bra…

> Just as higher-end cars have brake pad wear sensors and sometimes caliper temperature monitors....commercial passenger jets, especially ones made in the last two decades or so, are instrumented up the ass.

Never underestimate the power of snipping off a sensor and soldering in a resistor in it's place :P

Re: Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

#223

Post by nvy »

dylan604 wrote: post #209
nvy wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So I used to work in aircraft maintenance (never in Russia though) and the policy is to change the brakes when there is $minimum_thickness of brake pad remaining. There's a little wire embedded in the pad and eventually as the pad wears thin the wire completes a circuit with the rotor, and lights up the aerospace version of the Check Engine Light. The brakes on these planes certainly have some remaining life but they…

>the aerospace version of the Check Engine Light. why does it use such a vague light. are they afraid one more specific light for "brake pad warning" lamp will just make the cockpit untenable?

>why does it use such a vague light.

I was just being cute. There are typically very precise warnings and indications.

Re: Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

#225

Post by nvy »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #202
nvy wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So I used to work in aircraft maintenance (never in Russia though) and the policy is to change the brakes when there is $minimum_thickness of brake pad remaining. There's a little wire embedded in the pad and eventually as the pad wears thin the wire completes a circuit with the rotor, and lights up the aerospace version of the Check Engine Light. The brakes on these planes certainly have some remaining life but they…

How does the wire from the removable pad couple electronically with the permanent housing? Is it like a contact plate or is there an actual m-f style plug?

I'm not sure I understand the question. When the techs install a new brake assembly, the wiring harness is connected at the same time as the hydraulic system.

The pad itself is never changed on the flight line. It's quicker and easier to change the entire assembly and have the worn brakes rebuilt in a second line shop.

Re: Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

#226

Post by vGPU »

rich_sasha wrote: post #10
reacharavindh wrote: post #3

How in the world would any common Russian trust an airplane in this current sanctioned state in Russia and fly in one?! Are people that brainwashed to trust their leader to get on a plane that doesn’t have brakes?!

Story from a friend. Once, flying on a Russian domestic airline flight, they noticed something like a little shrine at the back. Some black and white photos, flowers, mementos. They asked the cabin crew about it. Response was, well, the plane had crashed once, killing some people on board, including some staff. So they are commemorated here. But the plane is fine. Anecdote aside, it's fair to say Russia has a somewha…

Air Canada 143. JAL2. Just a few of the airplanes that have crashed and been put back into service.

It’s pretty common so long as it’s economic. Otherwise, they’ll get stripped for parts.

Re: Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

#227

Post by BrentOzar »

ramses0 wrote: post #220
dylan604 wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the aerospace version of the Check Engine Light. why does it use such a vague light. are they afraid one more specific light for "brake pad warning" lamp will just make the cockpit untenable?

Pilot can't go out and replace the brake pad on the tarmac. Technician busts out the ODB code-reader and says: "Huh, needs a new left brake pad"

> Technician busts out the ODB code-reader

I assume you mean OBD (on board diagnostics), not Ol Dirty B*stard, who has a very different set of codes.

Re: Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

#228

Post by vGPU »

oceanplexian wrote: post #64
rich_sasha wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Story from a friend. Once, flying on a Russian domestic airline flight, they noticed something like a little shrine at the back. Some black and white photos, flowers, mementos. They asked the cabin crew about it. Response was, well, the plane had crashed once, killing some people on board, including some staff. So they are commemorated here. But the plane is fine. Anecdote aside, it's fair to say Russia has a somewha…

I flew on a Russian domestic flight 10-ish years ago, and people were still lighting up cigarettes on the plane if that says anything.

You might want to check what year it is.

There are only two countries that have allowed smoking on planes in the past decade: Cuba, and China.

Both have banned it. China was the last to do so, with their ban on pilots smoking that only began getting enforced in 2019.

Re: Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

#229

Post by inferiorhuman »

jrockway wrote: post #214
inferiorhuman wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Angola_Boeing_727_disappe...

We know it's missing, right? In the case the original commenter posted, they'd have to somehow prove it didn't crash.

Like the Malaysian 777, we know it's missing. No idea what happened to it or where it is. Even in the twenty-first century it's not impossible.

In the context of the Russian war, the Russian government stole a bunch of planes being leased to Russian airlines by foreign companies and assigned them Russian tail numbers. With that paucity of transparency I'd say it's even easier to hide a plane wreck over there.

Re: Aeroflot deactivates brakes on nine aircraft, relies solely on reverse thrust

#230

Post by martin8412 »

fbdab103 wrote: post #215
userbinator wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect they'll start making their own, if they haven't already been.

I am more surprised there is not a sufficiently rich black-market operation going around sanctions. Random site[0] says, >In general, airplane brakes can last between 1000-2000 landings before they are changed. An active airplane makes an estimate of two landings per day; this means the airplane needs to be changed after 18-36 months. Even at multiple brake pads(?) per plane, that does not sound an insurmountable amo…

Black market from where? If caught selling parts to Russia, you'll be banned by Airbus and Boeing, meaning you can't maintain your own fleet.
Post reply on HN