Wow - I thought this was going to be a jokey thread when I saw the title...
I learnt at Redhill. Only rwys available are grass. Ignoring the problems with drainage etc. I have always found grass to be a much easier surface than tarmac. A x/wind landing (crab, or wheel down) is less likely to rip the legs off on a slippy surface than a sticky one, surely?
I was always taught to be very ginger with the lowering of the nosewheel due to the bumpiness of the surface, but this is a good lesson any surface, given the likelihood of a good nosewheel shimmy on tarmac, isn't it?
I also witnessed a Citation come into and out of Redhill for some avionics work once. Just after the grass had been cut.
I was a little concerned at the amount of the loose green stuff covering the nose and cowlings but the two pilots seemed very calm about the whole issue.
Aside from a couple of nasty skids (wheels, not undergarments) during training on the damp green stuff, I reckon grass if nice and forgiving for suitable a/c (I'm sure there are UNsuitable a/c). Why tell students not to do it?
Hersh