I guess since Van is a glider pilot and the hand brake system is frequently used on gliders for it's simplicity and weight savings, thats how it got started. But as Mitch Lock pointed out it takes three hands to start the plane, so it wasn't practical. Besides most people prefer toe brakes anyway. By subtracting the weight of the steerable nose gear hardware from the added brake pedal assembies, it's not a bad trade off.
Art Pennanen