Definition
The use of the airplane's wheel brakes to slow the airplane after touchdown by applying friction to the rotating main wheels. Mechanical braking is one of several deceleration methods used during the landing rollout, alongside aerodynamic braking and, where fitted, reverse thrust or beta.
Plain English
Pressing the brake pedals on the rudder pedals to slow the airplane on the ground using the wheel brakes.
Context Anchor
Encountered during touchdown and landing rollout, when the pilot decides how much wheel braking to apply after landing.
Derivation
Mechanical' comes from the Greek mēkhanikos, meaning 'of machines' — relating to physical parts working on each other. Here it points to physical friction at the wheels, distinguishing this method from aerodynamic braking, which uses airflow against control surfaces rather than any mechanical part touching another.
Why Pilots Care
Effective mechanical braking is essential to meet published landing distances and avoid runway excursions, especially on short or contaminated runways.
Intuition Check
Mechanical braking does not mean every way of slowing the airplane. Here it specifically means the wheel brakes are doing the slowing.
Example Sentence 1
After the nosewheel was firmly on the ground, the pilot transitioned from aerodynamic braking to mechanical braking to slow the airplane on the remaining runway.
Example Sentence 2
On a short runway the pilot combined aerodynamic drag with mechanical braking to stop within the available distance.