If sand would gum up the wheels/brakes anything like snow would, then she may indeed have operated sans pants. The Chicago Stuka was captured by British forces in Libya (iirc) in 1942. I ran across this shot of her in an antique market a few years ago, showing her in Canada circa 1945, and she was already minus the pants, and a few other details as well, at that date. The original print I bought is absolutely diamond-sharp, and every visible detail of the paint matches the present appearance, leading me to believe the Stuka still wears wartime paint. Hat tip to the folks at the Chicago museum for saving this--and that Spitfire Ia still in 1944 OTU paint--when they could.
S.