Pitts S-1 Special
Curtis Pitts, a self-taught Florida designer, built the first Pitts Special in 1944 around a simple idea: a biplane small and light enough to roll, loop and change attitude far faster than the larger pre-war aerobatic types it replaced. The single-seat S-1 remained a rare, hand-built curiosity until Pitts released construction plans in 1962, after which homebuilders turned it into the aircraft that dominated world aerobatic competition for decades; the US team flew S-1S models almost exclusively to world titles in 1970 and 1972. Its stubby fuselage and short-span biplane wings became the template every later aerobatic design was judged against.
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Did you know?
The original Pitts: the short-stubbed single-seat biplane whose quick, short-coupled handling let the US team fly it to world aerobatic titles.
Specifications
| Length | 4.7 m (15 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 5.2 m (17 ft) |
| Height | 1.9 m (6 ft) |
| Persons on board | 1 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 0.4 t |
| Range | 270 NM (500 km) |
| Service ceiling | 22,000 ft (6,706 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 13,000 ft (3,962 m) |
| Rate of climb | 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 150 m (492 ft) |
| Landing distance | 300 m (984 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 100 l |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Pitts S-1 Special starts as a Uncommon catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Pitts, the S-1 Special family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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