From kls Fri Dec 3 02:10:09 1999 Path: bounce-back Newsgroups: sci.aeronautics.airliners Date: 03 Dec 99 02:10:09 From: "Daniel P. B. Smith" Subject: ?Smoke puffs from tires I used to see when 707's landed? References: Message-ID: Approved: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM Sender: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM X-Trace: typhoon1.gnilink.net 943709332 151.203.19.51 (Sat, 27 Nov 1999 08:28:52 EST) Organization: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Barbara Havers NNTP-Posting-Host: 151.203.19.51 Reply-To: dpbsmith@bellatlantic.net > > P. Wezeman wrote in message ... > > I read in an article somewhere that heat buildup in the tire > >can be a significant problem for airliners > > It can be a problem, usually on landing although this has basically been > iraddicated by the use of multiple wheel low pressure tires reducing the > individual wheel and tyre loads. The problem during taxying is more to do > with brakes overheating, sometimes you need to wait a few minutes after > taxy to allow them to cool down before commencing the take off run, brakes > overheating is the main cause of u/c fire on a few older a/c and to a lesser > degree on the newer ones. We flew on a 707 in the late fifties, and at the time I was very struck by the incredible speed at which the beasts came screaming in for a landing, the way they chewed up most of those huge runways before coming to a reluctant stop, and what certainly APPEARED to be puffs of smoke coming from the tires when they made contact. It would come in, the tires would touch two or three times before making firm contact, and on each of those touches a little cloud or burst of SOMETHING greyish would come up from the tires. Was it REALLY smoke? What was really happening? -- Daniel P. B. Smith email: dpbsmith@bellatlantic.net "Lifetime forwarding" email address: dpbsmith@mit.alum.edu