On 12 Mar 2007 15:30:12 -0700, "EridanMan"
wrote:

Eight pounds is quite a weight saving, especially since Pipers have very
positive nose wheel steering, so the toe brakes provide only redundancy. My
personal prejudice favors the greatest theoretical redundancy, meaning nose
wheel steering plus toe brakes

Yes, but then you also might argue that toe brakes (requiring two
cylinders, two pressurized lines, etc) have twice as many failure
points for the same mission-critical system (Braking)... so while you
get redundant steering, you get it at the cost of more mission
critical parts to fail

I'm stirring the pot of course, I would gladly step up to a newer
aircraft with toe brakes if given the opportunity, I'm just saying I
don't miss them on my current bird

Peter

NA stirring the pot would be to suggest that with the training wheel
on the front, long wide paved runways having one wheel brake is way
more than whats needed for safe operation.