Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

[M Towsley]

Hi all,

I realized yesterday, while working on my 'new' T-Craft, the parking brake set-up at the pedals was a wrongly done homemade affair. They made the floorboards to fit their version of the parking brake.

I would like a photo of two of what a finished floorboard area looks that has the correct connections to the pedals for the parking brake cables. My first T-Craft had them done right but I don't remember what that looked like. Thanks!

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

This is what was in my 45 (also had original RH Brakes, but it had a number of "experiments" from the factory). The hand brake tube came down from the panel in a sweeping arc and the end fit into the little tube holder you can see on the top left. The cable went from there to the brake pedals. Works great putting the brakes on, not so good getting them to release! I never use the parking brake.
Hank

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Try pressing the brakes with your heels to set them . Then to release, press them again and twist to release , you should have a sort of clip that holds them locked in. twist 90 degees to release. I sometimes reach back in with the palm of my hand and depress them to release to move ship around...
I use the "parking" brake to briefly hold the ship while a scamper around to get some chocks....NEVER use it for hand propping...
Your set up looks a bit strange; it was always a bowden cable and the later ships and all the F-19's used a cable with T handle that twisted to lock by friction.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Forrest,
Both of mine have the standard "T" handle with the 90 degree twist to lock. I really think the reason it sticks on the 45 is that tight curve in the tube just before it goes through the fitting. I never thought of putting pressure on the pedals before moving the handle. I need to try that. Of course the 45 is still "nekid" so I just reached through the sides and pushed the pedals when it would stick and I needed to move the fuselage. They stuck so much on the 45 fuselage I have never used the parking brake on the 41. I have really never needed it on her and would NEVER trust it on a hand prop! I'm the guy who uses two separate ropes and chocks!
As for it looking "strange", there is a LOT of strange stuff on my 45. It was the one we determined stayed at the factory for a long time ater being finished and was actually not sold until the spring or summer of 46 (the paperwork at the FAA was a mess and remember all those wing ribs that are "stamped" but aren't the same as the later ones?). They stuck a LOT of funky little experiments on her. The best one was that twin triangle skylight.
I have a list of what I have found on her somewhere. When I blasted the fuselage I even found marks in the tail that looked like could have come from a "flipper" trim system! I really need to check the steel and see if she is 1010 or 4130. Might have been built from a left over pre war fuselage.
A lot of funny stuff happened right after the war when they started production back up.
Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Still could use a photo of a finished floorboard of the brake pedal area. Thanks!

[Robert Lees]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Do these help?






Aluminium cover strip between the two:



Aluminium heel plate fitted to prevent scuffing of the timber:

[M Towsley]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Yes, Rob, they do. Thanks! Now if you had a closeup of the last picture of just that pedal area....., but I can figure it out from there. I'm trying to see how the parking brake cable is run from the pedals to the parking brake cable and how the flooring and aluminum plate is cut out.

[3Dreaming]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Marty, I've seen several different styles of floor boards both wood and metal. That's one of those things that seemed to change withthe different airplanes. The skid plate should have 1 or 2 "U" shaped cut outs towards the firewall for the brake pedals. The cable hook up is a yoke cable connecting the 2 pedals together, hooked up to the parking brake cable from above with one of those 2 bolt "C" channel cable clamps. Tom

[M Towsley]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Tom,

Thanks for the info, but amazingly I do remember of how it all hooks up. I also found a great picture from a post that Joel Severinghaus had taken of his brake pedals. The only problem with the picture was it was taken before the floorboard and heel plate went in. What I cannot remember is how the parking brake cable runs under the aluminum heel plate. I have a picture of the cockpit of my '46 I picked up there in Olney, but it does not go far enough down to see the exact set-up that was there. I really shouldn't say set-up, I know how that is done, I just cannot remember how the floorboard and aluminum heel plate was cut out to not interfere with the parking brake cable and 'yoke' for the brake pedals. I was hoping someone had a picture so I could remember and not have to reinvent the wheel when I re-run my parking brake set-up today.

Attached is the picture Joel posted. I even found the electrical split nuts today for the cable, I will post pictures of those later. I just need a picture of the finished floorboard/heel plate in this area.

[Dick Smith]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Does this help? From Mexico...wishing I was in Alaska!
Actually it's not bad...just miss the Tribe. Dick

[Robert Lees]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

I found a few more:

[M Towsley]

Re: Need Picture of Heel Brake Area

Dick and Rob,

Perfect, just what I was looking for. Thank you very much. I now realize how the parking brake bridle goes under the rudder pedal 'bars' and up and over the flooring and heel plates. The original restorers had it completely wrong and weren't even using the holes in the back of the brake pedals for the parking brake cable.