foodstick - Yes, she flies great, and she will fly much better when the full power will be available.
propstryke - Fixing the Pitts will be a project well worth doing. It must be a dream to fly with the G62 power.
I do not fit wheel-pants to my aeroplanes as I found them to cause too much damage, especially when Kangaroo droppings get caught in them (and our airfields are littered with them).