Originally Posted by
Probe
If you have brake fans, you need brake fans. The fan shroud acts like a heat shield, and holds the brake heat in. Even in a light 319, low auto brakes, you get hot brakes. Pretty much every single time.
On a positive note, you don't hear APU's screaming on the ramp. On a negative note, that is because every single airbus on the ramp has dual SCREAMING brake fans on. They are louder and more obnoxious than the APU.
3 years flying the bus at UAL I think I got hot brakes 5 or 6 times. Hot and high? Put external fans on the ramp at those very few airports.
321's I am not sure. Maybe more useful. I only flew them with brake fans.
Interesting perspective, never thought of that.
The handful we fly without them do get hot brakes often, but they do seem to cool off faster too.
Yes, those things are obnoxiously loud.