Speaking of 'ground handling' the Tiger sans brakes.....
In a strong wind when taxying downwind, down the runway at a country AD for T/O, and trying to gun the throttle to turn the 'old girl' around into the wind for the T/O, the best solution was to ...
Close the throttle so that the donk just 'ticks' over,
Drop the side 'gate',
Step out,
Pick it up by the tail strut and turn it around into wind,
Gently place tail back on ground,
Get back in and go...
Otherwise the wind would get under the up-wind wing and lift it - just as the turning motion, if any in a strong wind, would also cause the up-wind wheel to lift, thereby causing the 'old girl' to tip over onto the opposite wheel and the assoc. wingtip - thus wearing / causing abrasion to the fabric to the lower mainplane underside fabric.
Our 'clever' little LAME soon fixed that - with a nice little curved bamboo strip secured firmly under each lower wing-tip.
Worked a treat, but we still preferred to turn it around 'manually' when the morning Wheatbelt 'Easterlies'' were a'blowin'...
Good ole' days...
