FWIW dept.:

  There are hundreds of Rutan-based canard aircraft flying - and landing - with Nylaflow or Nyloseal brake lines.  Many have multiple hundreds of hours on them.  It is, under normal circumstances, a very successful system.

  That said, Mike Melvill, converted his Long-EZ to Stratoflex (SS braid over Teflon tube), sometime before Oct. 1990.    That said, too, the Berkut used 1/8" SS brake lines, throughout.    The SS tubing is definitely heavier than the synthetic tubing, but it should last the life of the airframe.  But then, too, so should the Stratoflex. Me?  I like metal - for some things anyway.  :)

Dale R.
COZY MkIV #1254


  


 

From: "Russell Duffy" <13brv3@bellsouth.net>
Date: 2005/06/24 Fri PM 06:40:17 EDT
To: "Rotary motors in aircraft" <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: Brake Line Incident Photos

Re "stainless steel braided line", Ed:  The stuff inside the "stainless
steel braid" ain't "steel" - it's rubber and/or teflon tubing - stuff that
will melt from heat soaking from hot calipers back into hose.

Well, I hope you're wrong about the melting part David.  The Earl's hose I'm
using is good for 300F.  I've seen planes with plastic line throughout.  In fact, the Kolb in the
garage has plastic now, but it won't when I get done with it.  I've got no
problem with using plastic for the reservoir, just not the pressure lines. On the RV-8, I used the aluminum tubing that Van's sent, and never had a bit
of trouble with it.  On the RV-3, I used aluminum, and had 2 or 3 different
occurrences of cracks near the fitting on the brake caliper.  The gear on
the -3 has some shimmy problems, so I figured it was just getting shaken too
much.  With that in mind, I thought perhaps I had too much loop, but
reducing it didn't help either.  Stainless braided hose did though :-)

Cheers,
Rusty (no dyno purchase today)








   

 

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