Abstract: In order to drive the wheels of an aircraft with an auxiliary, ground handling drive, a wheel drive motor is selectively coupled to the aircraft wheel through a rotatably mounted aircraft brake assembly. The normally nonrotating stator portion of a conventional aircraft brake assembly is rotatably mounted about the wheel axle and is rotatably driven through a planetary gear system by the wheel drive motor. During ground handling, the brake assembly is actuated to cause a clutch-like engagement between the rotatably mounted brake stator elements and the conventional brake rotor elements, mounted on the aircraft wheel, to couple the motor to and for driving the wheel. Disengagement of the brake stator elements and wheel rotor elements decouples the motor drive and allows the aircraft wheel to freely rotate for the high rotational velocities occurring during take-off and landing.