Hmmm, I teach my students to apply braking action as soon as possible and to then apply continuous but modulating brake pressure to bring the aircraft to a halt - usually well before the runway end. Here is my thinking.
I operate generally from a 800m RW with very un-pleasant overuns therefore there is a reduced safety factor.
That aside if the brakes have failed I want to know ASAP. I have encountered lose reservoir caps that have resulted in loss of hydraulic fluid after - say - stalling sorties. Early diagnosis will allow use of parking brake etc.
The risk of Aquaplaning a light training aircraft is very low. I also find braking action deteriorates on an aircraft if the brakes are not regularly used. The pad surfaces change, the discs corrode and the system generally becomes less effective if rarely used in anger.
Undercarriage tyre and wheel problems in their early stages tend to show up during braking - you know, odd clunks and vibrations.
If the student rarely does any serious braking then when they come to the short field exercise they are underconfident and it is a whole new skillset for them to learn. They may also get a nasty suprise when they first visit a shorter field than they trained on. Surely its better to equip them for the worst case even if you happen to have a 2400m by 90m 'strip'. Running off the runway is the most common accident at my field.
Although the majority of students learn to fly in the summer they have year long licenses - what happens when they take their mates up on a lovely clear frosty New Years day and then land on the old familiar runway only to find it strangely slippery as hell and the end approaching.
I find that students very commonly over-relax after landing and do not properly control the aircraft right down to fullstop. I can only think that letting the aircraft bleed off speed at its leisure exacerbates this trait.
As the aircraft slows down it loses directional stability - most obviously in a crosswind. By using a good braking action the time during which the aircraft is most exposed to directional instability is reduced. I can only feel that keeping the nosewheel off the ground down to 20kts is inviting a crosswind gust to do its worst.
There are runways in the UK with significant downhill gradients. With very little headwind and an unfamiliarty with the field a student taught to let speed bleed off at leisure could end up taking a ridiculous amount of time on the runway which would suprise other aircraft/ATC.
By teaching them to always brake with a modulating pressure you are preparing them for the day they land on a very wet or grass runway and skid the aircraft. They will automatically be easing off the pressure with my technique. It is very very very hard to come off the brakes when you are skidding. I don't believe they will have the ability to do so - particularly in this day of ABS on every car, its just not a skill in use anymore and its against your instincts. Doing this every time also exercises the nose oleo which should keep it healthy and diagnose seals wearing out etc. It also acts to stop nosewheel shimmy. It is less comfortable for passengers though.
The pinciple of using brakes fully and early is preparing the student for the larger aircraft he/she will often want to get checked out on once they have a bit of time on their license. Many of the above arguements get stronger if you take bloggs out of his solo C152 at a large training airfield and into a PA28 Warrior on a shorter airfield with 4 mates, luggage and loads of fuel...
*When* the student later in life has to put the aircraft down in a field due to an engine failure do you want him to a) have to remember to brake fully with skill and judgement even though the adrenalin is going like hell or b) land carrying out his/her normal, ingrained landing actions.
Brakes are specifically designed and engineered for the job of stopping the aircraft. The wear and expense is pretty marginal on light training aircraft.
I agree that at many places on many days and in many aircraft the brakes are just a luxury. However that same student trying to get onto my runway, today in something like a Warrior with some mates on board needs those brakes as much as he needs wings and he needs to be damned competent in their use. We should prepare them for more than the skilltest.
Thats my thinking anyway.
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