At 15:28 11 April 2011, John Scott wrote:
1-26 use a band brake against the tire. Some folks have regular brake
lining installed on the band which improve braking but at the expense of

increased tire wear.

There is at least one 1-26 out there (441, ex Ron Schwartz) that has a
mechanically operated drum brake on the main wheel. Originally, the 1-26
used a tire with a flat tread, like a car tire, not the round tread
aircraft type tire. That made the aluminum band work a lot better, since
it had a lot more area to rub against. I don't know that there is any
such tire available anymore suitable for use on an aircraft.

Jim Beckman