May 16, 2016
At the 2015 Sun-N-Fun expo in Florida I first saw a Beringer wheel on display. The wheel hubs (split case with Michelin tubeless tires) are machined on all surfaces from aluminum billets and then anodized to a brilliant red. They are as much jeweled works of art as functional devices. I explored their website. The prices turned me away. However, I read on the VAF forum that Beringer was for a while offering a 30% discount on full Vans RV systems to the first buyer from each EAA Chapter. That and the significant weight savings did it.
In addition to the wheels and master cylinders the displayed parts came in the box.
In the Beringer system the right and left brakes each have their own fluid reservoir. I fabricated a tray to hold the reservoirs and hopefully direct any overfilled fluid to a safe collector. I plan on adding a 5″x8″ inspection port to the fuselage top front skin for access to the area behind the instrument sub-panel and for viewing the reservoirs while the system is being filled.
The device to the right and below the reservoirs is the Beringer ALIR Anti-skid Inline Regulator. It is adjustable and sets the maximum differential between the right and left brake line pressures. At this point I was ready to assemble and install the cabin side brake lines.
The eight Teflon lined and stainless steel jacketed lines were wire-tied to the moving rudder pedal assembly. The rudder and brake pedal movement were checked free and clear with no rubbing or binding of parts.