| Pitts Special | |
|---|---|
 Pitts S-1S in flight |
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| Type | Aerobatic biplane |
| Manufacturer | Aviat (current) |
| Designed by | Curtis Pitts |
| Maiden flight | 1944 |
The Pitts Special is a light aerobatics biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. Aerobatics is the demonstration of flying maneuvers for Training, Recreation or Entertainment. A biplane is a Fixed-wing aircraft with two main Wings The first powered heavier-than-air Aircraft, the Wright brothers' Wright Flyer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts Aviat Aircraft Inc is an American service facility and manufacturer of sport and utility Aircraft based in Afton Wyoming. Curtis Pitts ( December 9, 1916 – June 10, 2005) of Stillmore Georgia, was a Designer of a series of popular Aerobatic The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1944: Events January January 11 - in one of their largest air raids to The Pitts Specials Formation Aerobatic Team is a civilian airshow team flying four Pitts Special S-2B biplanes throughout the United States Central America and Canada Aerobatics is the demonstration of flying maneuvers for Training, Recreation or Entertainment. A biplane is a Fixed-wing aircraft with two main Wings The first powered heavier-than-air Aircraft, the Wright brothers' Wright Flyer Curtis Pitts ( December 9, 1916 – June 10, 2005) of Stillmore Georgia, was a Designer of a series of popular Aerobatic It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1944: Events January January 11 - in one of their largest air raids to The Pitts Special dominated world aerobatic competition in the 1960s and 1970s and, even today, remains a potent competition aircraft in the lower categories. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970.
Contents |
Development history
It is widely accepted that the Pitts Special is the standard by which all other aerobatic planes are judged. The design has been refined continuously since the prototype's first flight in 1944, however, the current Pitts Specials still remain quite close to the original in concept and in design. Pitts also built several monoplane racing planes in the 1940s-50s, the most famous of which was the Pitts Pellet or "Lil' Monster". He also built a two-seat sport monoplane called the "Big Hickey".
Several of the aircraft that Curtis built had a picture of a skunk on them and were called Stinkers. The second plane that Curtis built was called Lil' Stinker by Betty Skelton after she bought it. The prototype S-2, which was the first 2 seat Pitts, was Big Stinker. The prototype Model 11 (later called S1-11B) was Super Stinker. The prototype Model 12 is the Macho Stinker.
Curtis Pitts died at age 89. At the time of his death, he was working with Steen on the prototype of the new Pitts Model 14, a brand-new, 2-seat aerobatic biplane powered by the 400 hp Vedeneyev radial engine. Vedeneyev M14P is a nine cylinder radial four-stroke air cooled petrol engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion Engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central The Model 14 is designed for unlimited aerobatics. The rights to the Pitts name is now currently owned by Aviat which also owns the similar model to the Pitts in the Christen Eagle. Aviat Aircraft Inc is an American service facility and manufacturer of sport and utility Aircraft based in Afton Wyoming.
Current versions
Certified versions of the compact Pitts Special are now produced by Aviat in Afton, Wyoming. Afton is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1818 at the 2000 census. It is available as an S1 single seater with up to 200 horsepower (150 kW) flat-4 Lycoming engine and a 17' wingspan or as an S2 two seater variant featuring a 260 hp (194 kW) flat-6 Lycoming and a 20 ft (6 m) wingspan. A flat-4 or horizontally-opposed-4 is a Flat engine with four Cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of two cylinders on each side of a central For other meanings of ' Lycoming', please see Lycoming. The Lycoming engine was produced by Lycoming, one of the Errett flat-6 or horizontally-opposed-6 is a Flat engine with six Cylinders arranged horizontally in two banks of three cylinders on each side of a central The Pitts Special held sway over the aerobatic world championships until the rise of the monoplane, though it remains very competitive in all levels of competition and remains a favorite of airshow performers worldwide. For Félix du Temple 's invention see ''Monoplane'' (1874 Types of monoplane The main distinction in types of monoplane is The first monoplane to topple the Pitts from the top of unlimited aerobatic competition was the Russian built and designed Yak-50. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The single-seat Yakovlev Yak-50 aerobatic aircraft is an all-metal low-wing monoplane with retractable main wheels and exposed tail wheel
Today, the single-seat Pitts Special S1S plans are available from Aviat Aircraft. Aviat Aircraft Inc is an American service facility and manufacturer of sport and utility Aircraft based in Afton Wyoming. The S1-C and derivative S1-SS plans and kits are are supplied by Steen Aero Lab in Palm Bay, Florida. Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The S1 continues to provide extremely high performance at a relatively low cost. Many hundreds of homebuilders have successfully completed and flown the Pitts since plans became available in 1960. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1960: Events January January 1 - Fiji Airways is reconstituted
Designations
- All single seat (S1n) and two seat (S2n) are high performance biplanes with variations of a design that started in 1944. A biplane is a Fixed-wing aircraft with two main Wings The first powered heavier-than-air Aircraft, the Wright brothers' Wright Flyer Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The design was popularized by Betty Skelton, Caro Bayley, and other performers, which lead to the offering of plans around 1960.
- S-1C = Plans built aircraft, flat bottom wing, two aileron, single seat engine was normally anything from an 85 hp continental to a 180 hp Lycoming, fixed pitch prop
- S-1D = 4 ailerons with M6 airfoil like S1C but longer fuselage, sheet metal sides and other improvements over S1C. Lycoming Engines' is an American Aircraft engine company known primarily for its General aviation Engines For most of its history Lycoming has been Version from which S1S was developed with symmetrical wings.
- S-1E Like S1-S, but homebuilt (E for Experimental) symmetrical wing.
- S-1F Outside derivative Home-built, with the Falcon wing. Square tips, 25% more aileron span. In the UK, fitted with a 200hp Monty Barrett engine, and a lightweight Hoffmann VP Prop.
- S-1S = 180 - 200+ hp, single seat, factory or homebuilt, symmetrical wing, 4 ailerons, fixed pitch prop.
- S-1T = 200 hp Lycoming AEIO-360, 4 aileron, single seat, factory built, symmetrical wing, constant speed 2 blade Hartzell prop.
- S-1-11B 9 originally known as Model 11 Super Stinker, 300+ hp Lycoming, 4 aileron, single seat, experimental-plans or factory built and factory component parts, symmetric airfoil, 3 blade constant speed prop rolls better than 300 degree/s, climbs better than 3000 ft/min
- S-2 = 180 hp Lycoming, 4 aileron, 2 seat, factory built prototype, symmetrical airfoil, fixed pitch prop
- S-2A = 200 hp Lycoming, 4 aileron, 2 seat, factory built, symmetrical airfoil, constant speed 2 blade Hartzell prop
- S-2B = 260 hp Lycoming, 4 aileron, 2 seat (larger fuselage than S2-A), factory built, symmetric airfoil, constant speed 2 blade Hartzell prop with options for a 3 blade MT or 3 blade Hartzell composite prop.
- S-2C = 260 hp Lycoming, 4 aileron, 2 seat, factory built, symmetric airfoil, constant speed 3 blade prop , current production model. Improved version of S-2B, with improved ailerons and rudder.
- S-2E = basically a kit built S-2 (maybe a few plans built) (most built to S-2A or S-2B standards)
- S-2S = 260 hp Lycoming IO-540, 4 aileron, single seat, factory built, symmetrical wing, constant speed prop, 2 blade Hartzell prop. . . derivative of the S-2A, factory built, often used by airshow performers such as Jim LeRoy of Bulldog Airshows. Jim LeRoy (b 5 April 1961, d 28 July 2007) was an American Aerobatics pilot
- Model 12 - 360-400 hp M14P Russian radial engine, 2-blade or 3 blade MT propeller, plans built or kit built, component parts available. Last design completed and flown by Curtis Pitts.
- Model 13 - a "coupe" type monoplane design. It was never built.
- Model 14 - A new design being built by Steen Aero Lab Two-place, 400hp M14.
- Model 15 - Reported as a light sport type monoplane aircraft being developed by Steen Aero Lab.
Military Operators
- Chile, Jordan, Venezuela. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the
References
External links
- Aviat Aircraft
- Steen aero lab
- Pitts Model 12 web site - Jim Kimball Enterprises
- Aircraft.co.za - The Complete Aviation Reference
- Airbum.com - The definitive source for Pitts Information
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