Printed in Poland at publishing house patternel:
determination the two hole Pitts was finally certified. While the two
The Pitts Special!! This lively little biplane is a legend in aviation
winning countless local and national competitions, not to mention
the world aerobatic title, but how many know of its humble
beginnings.
Curtis Pitts was looking for a fun sport plane, but after WWII there
wasn't much available except „Cub” type airplanes which left him
only one choice, design and build his own. The first Pitts was built in
a short amount of time and first flew in 1945. The first Pitts was
powered by a 55 hp Lycoming and proved to be a sprite little
performer. There were around a half-dozen Pitts Specials built in the
early years and used in competition and winning them easily and
were very popular airshow performers. Most eventually crashed, the
whereabouts of one is unknown and the second Pitts built „Little
Stinker” flown by Betty Skelton now hangs in the Smithsonian.
In the 50's the home built movement was gaining popularity and
some people remembered the Pitts, plans were drawn up for the
„flatwing” and offered for sale in 1960. Originally it had 100 hp, but
the horsepower race was soon on as pilots could never have enough,
it quickly went to 125 hp, 150 hp, then to 180 hp. „Roundwing” Pitts
were offered for the ultimate in aerobatics, they perform just as well
upside down as they do right side up and also stall the same whether
they are right side up or upside down. Curtis received a patent for his
airfoil design. Curtis realized there was a need for an aerobatic
trainer as no trainers at that time could do all of the maneuvers
needed in competition. In the mid '60s he started work on the two
hole Pitts, to complicate matters Curtis wanted to get the plane
certified by the FAA, that's a place even the manufacturing giants
fear to tread. Through a lot of struggling, headaches, and sheer
K9 K10
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hole Pitts looks like a model plane to a lot of pilots (there are radio
controlled airplanes with a larger wing span), it looked positively
gigantic next to the single hole Pitts. In the S2B the horsepower has
jumped up to 260 and special built Pitts for competition and airshow
work sport engines over 300 hp. The Pitts design is pushing 60 years
of age and has had over a 550% increase in hp and there is no end in
sight, truly an amazing airplane!
Specifications
Powerplant Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5, 260 hp
Recommended TBO 1,200 hr
Propeller Constant speed; Hartzell metal two-blade or MT-Propeller
composite three-blade
Length ................................ 17 ft 9 in
Height................................. 6 ft 5 in
Wingspan ..........................20 ft
Wing area ........................... 125 sq ft
Wing loading .....................13 lb/sq ft (aerobatic category) 13.6 (normal)
Power loading ....................6.25 lb/hp (aerobatic category) 6.54 (normal)
Seats ..................................2
Cabin length ....................... 6 ft 11 in
Cabin width .......................2 ft 4 in
Cabin height ......................3 ft 11 in
Empty weight ....................1,150 lb
Empty weight, as tested .....1,185 lb
Gross weight....................... 1,625 lb (aerobatic category) 1,700 lb (normal)
Useful load ......................... 475 lb (aerobatic category) 550 lb (normal)
Useful load, as tested .........440 lb (aerobatic category) 515 lb (normal)
Fuel capacity, std (w/5-gal. wing tank) 29 gal (28 usable); aerobatic flight,
24 gal (23 usable)
Performance
Aerobatic flight load limits +6 G, -3 G
Endurance with 30 minutes fuel reserve 1.4 hr
Takeoff distance, ground roll 557 ft
Max demonstrated crosswind component 17 kt
Rate of climb, sea level ......2,700 fpm
Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std fuel (fuel consumption) @ 75%
power, best economy .........151 kt/ 1.2 hr (14.5 gph)
Landing distance, ground roll 1,054 ft
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