Model licences A and B

[teslahed]

My understanding is that unless you can cadence break absolutely perfectly then using ABS to break at the maximum possible rate is actually safer than trying to cadence break and not quite managing it 100%. I bet i could cadence break if i put my mind to it, but would i cadence break every time as accurately as the ABS and would it be worth the risk of increased stopping distances when i really needed to stop as soon as possible, just because i didn';t use ABS?

The roads are now full of safer drivers who have better control of their vehicles on average because of the fact that almost everyone drives using anti-lock breaking systems.

I can imagine that if you want to learn to be a rally car driver or wish to move into formula one racing then you might want to learn cadence breaking and should be expected to be in the top 1% or better of people that can break manually better than the ABS can manage it. I can certainly level my small quadcopters better than auto-level does it but i don';t expect everyone else to want to learn to do that.

I don';t think my car even tells me when I';ve made use of the ABS system. How would i know when it';s activated? I';ve certainly never skidded it and I';ve had to do at least one real emergency stop from 35mph down to 0 since passing my test.

I managed to scared a jogger quite badly - I went round a blind corner on a national speed limit road and there was a car coming the other way too wide and too fast with no room for me to move over because of the jogger on the other side of the road. So without thinking i just slammed my foot on the break instead of either hitting the oncoming car or else the jogger. I stopped 4 meters short of the poor jogger (who had put her hands up over her head to brace for the impact that never came - rather than jumping up onto the grass verge ) and didn';t hit the oncoming car either. But it was very scary!

I';m glad i didn';t have to cadence break - lets put it that way

[Hands0n]

So, cadence braking vs ABS - to be anywhere near as efficient you would have to not only sense the actual moment the skid begins, and then release the brake pressure, but re-apply the braking the moment the wheel starts turning. That is what ABS does. Oh, an you';d have to be capable of doing that at a rate of ten times per second (typical).  So cadence braking is nowhere near as efficient, and by implication nowhere near as safe, as ABS activation.

The other thing to bear in mind with ABS is that it allows you to steer the vehicle while under maximum braking. Something that is impossible when in a full on skid, and dreadfully difficult to do while cadence braking.  So as a safety feature the ABS is superior in almost every possible way to manual braking.

Flip over to multi-rotor and auto-level/stability/<call it what you will> is similarly far superior in maintaining level, and therefore safe, flight than full manual.  We have already established that in skill terms that using auto-level requires no less skill to actually fly safely. Unless the only definition of safety is performing manual level flight. Which I would strongly contend is absolutely no measure of safety.

And returning to ABS for a moment, the mention of Rally and Forumula One cars. It is worth mentioning that today';s ABS, Traction Control and other safety features in cars are all directly derived from motor sport. Formula One, in particular uses these very same safety technologies extensively. Yet the BMFA would deem them as less competent and safe drivers than someone who was bombing around the track in a totally manual 1950';s Ford Popular.  Go figure!

NB: I might add that absolutely none of the above is my opinion. It is all verifiable, auditable and unassailable fact.

[G60jet]

However ABS IS USLESS in snow, as it traction control in snow on a hill!  Time and place for everything

However I agree with what you are putting across.

[barneyg]

However ABS IS USLESS in snow, as it traction control in snow on a hill!  Time and place for everything

not if you are using the correct tires

[teslahed]

NB: I might add that absolutely none of the above is my opinion. It is all verifiable, auditable and unassailable fact.

All interesting stuff, thanks for posting.

I';m happy to admit i don';t know much about the technical details of ABS or cars in general so it';s mostly new to me.

We seem to have gotten off the subject of the BMFA A&B tests at least slightly with these analogies now, but after 10 pages of discussion i think most of what can be said has been.

If anyone does have anything new to say about the tests feel free to interrupt though

[Hands0n]

The analogies to ABS were merely intended to consider how safety features have taken a similar course to "approval" in other disciplines.  I';m sure that "real pilots" also lambasted fly-by-wire technology in full scale aircraft, as is now common in the newer commercial airliners. http://www.airbus.com/innovation/proven-concepts/in-design/fly-by-wire/

Of course, as we all know by now, using ANY kind of auto assist is not a measure of pilot competence and safety. ...

But of course, that is only my opinion ... and that of Airbus industries ...and Boeing ... and ....

But what the hey!