By Derek Royal  

There’s something magical about a Pitts Special. The biplane’s sleek, racy lines. The 260 horses under the hood. And the aura of knowing that this aircraft is one of the true legends of the sky. Aviator takes a spin (literally) in a Pitts S-2B and comes away mesmerised by the experience.

I’m at Camden Airport in Sydney’s southwest and I’m about to take my first flight in a Pitts Special S-2B. Appropriately named “Abracadabra” the aircraft deemed capable of performing aerial wizardry boasts a snazzy navy and yellow colour scheme with red trim and I’m expecting it to live up to its sterling reputation as a manoeuvrable beast that has won more aerobatic competitions than any other aircraft in history.

Since announcing my sheer good fortune to my inner circle, I’ve received plenty of advice about how to tame the aircraft. I’ve been told that while the S-2B’s highly capable with excellent performance generated from its 260hp fuel injected engine, it’s also notorious for being as tricky on the ground as it is in the air.

I’ve also been warned that the machine’s a nightmare to land. True, the Pitts’ flight characteristics leave little room for error in the landing phase. But by the end of the day I’ll certainly have my own take on the aircraft’s capability - or should I say “my” ability to safely land without damaging the aircraft, my bones or, dare I say it ... my ego.

I’ve fl own aerobatics trainers such as the Robin 2160 and Victa Airtourer, but the opportunity to step up to the plate and be strapped into a Pitts is seriously exciting. I feel like a rollercoaster freak receiving the key to the biggest ride in the theme park.

In preparation for the flight I’ve done some homework about the history of the S-2B and its predecessors and boy is it impressive. Curtis Pitts designed the original Pitts Special in 1945 and since then the aircraft has developed a reputation for excellence unsurpassed by any other precision aircraft. No wonder an early model is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

Funny thing is that while the S-2B carries Curtis Pitts’ name, the man himself actually sold his interest in the Pitts Special in 1977 before the S-2B was designed. The S-2B was actually designed by Pitts Aerobatics’ (now Aviat) chief engineer Herb Anderson in the early eighties.

After a classroom brief at Camden and a thorough preflight inspection, I’m ready to go. The weather’s not the best but at least (for the time being anyway) it’s dry and we’re able to hit the sky.

I step into the rear cockpit and while it’s a difficult manoeuvre for those who don’t boast the classic pilot’s physique, once inside it’s surprisingly comfortable. I eventually strap myself in behind the S-2B’s owner (who shall remain anonymous), and after the required radio calls taxi the aircraft to the runup area using a series of slow S-turns to improve my visibility. Poor visibility from the rear cockpit deems it critical to taxi the aircraft safely and slowly; walking pace is considered ideal. Another danger associated with the aircraft’s biplane design is the low location of the second wing. It’s so close to the ground that I need to make sure I carefully avoid gable markers or signs, obstacles that could easily cause thousands of dollars worth of damage in the event of a collision.

Before long we’re lined up on the runway and ready to go. Clearance received, I ease the throttle forward and as the engine roars and “Abracadabra” speeds down the centreline I’m driven back into my seat by sheer force. Awesome. We rotate at 52 knots and climb out at 95 (knots). The Pitts needs a maximum of 250 metres to leave terra firma and thanks to the size of the engine, the climb is quick. In fact it’s super quick and once the tail rises in the climb the poor visibility disappears and the view is spectacular.

Unfortunately for me, because there’s such a big engine on a small airframe, the Pitts becomes twitchy and I suddenly find myself desperately clinging onto the controls just to prevent being left behind by an errant aircraft. I know I have an expert along for the ride who can step in should the need arise, but in my mind I need to keep face and maintain my inner calm despite the fact that my gut’s performing an aerobatics routine of its own. The Pitts is a superb piece of human engineering but I need to show the machine who’s ‘really’ in control.

I focus hard to keep the throttle forward in order to prevent inertia from bringing my hand back unintentionally. This plane has amazing acceleration: real adrenaline-inducing stuff. I want to laugh, but become a little nervous because it’s obvious the Pitts is still ahead of me. The tail blows itself off the ground as soon as I relax back pressure and the aircraft is screaming upward before I have time to think about it. This is definitely one takeoff where I’m behind the eight ball. Things are happening so fast.

But other than the feeling of being behind the aeroplane, the skill required during takeoff had actually been minimal. The aircraft had tracked straight ahead and my primary duty had been to simply grit my teeth and hang on. The wings jinked a few degrees left and right before I realised the secret to this caper was simple. Operate the controls gently. Why? Simply because the Pitts’ controls are extremely responsive. Read again – ‘extremely responsive’. A few millimetres of stick movement that would virtually do nothing in a standard lightie can quite easily produce a 20 degree bank in the S-2B. No bull.

Before long and with some encouragement from my flying companion, I eventually regain control of the Pitts and prepare myself to perform some basic aerobatic manoeuvres. I’ll attempt a spin, loop, and slow roll before the aircraft’s owner takes control and shows me what his baby’s capable of. But in the meantime I slowly pull back the column and climb to 5,000 feet where I receive the green light to start my ‘routine’.

It’s clear while entering the spin that the pilot’s wish is the Pitts’ command, and it comes out of the spin instantly on the desired heading. Excellent. And remarkably, a 4-G pull-up to a loop requires less control movement than some aerobatic trainer aircraft, and minimal pressure needs to be released to round out the top of the loop. As someone who has fl own the slower, less responsive aerobatic aircraft, I’ve found that the Pitts simply requires less work to perform manoeuvres accurately. This makes flying the machine so much simpler, less stressful and most importantly, a whole lot of fun.

Once I’ve completed my routine, my companion makes a few positive suggestions and I’m riding high. He then takes over the controls and without hesitation immediately proceeds to pull all manner of G-forces, both positive and negative. Aileron rolls, a four-point hesitation roll, a vertical roll on the downline, a half-Cuban and then a reverse Cuban. Even though I feel like I’m being tossed around like a rag doll and my insides are turning to mush, it’s obvious (not to mention reassuring) to know that this guy knows what he’s doing and he’s doing it so effortlessly. With more than 600 hours of Pitts flying in his logbook, that’s not surprising. I laugh aloud and secretly beg for more.

We then proceed into a ballistic roll with four rotations, a vertical roll with two rotations, a humpty bump over the top and an Avalanche. To top things off I suddenly find myself inverted! Whoa! This is so much better than ‘any’ rollercoaster ride! Bring on the adrenaline junkies!

Logically, I should see blue-green-blue-green, as the greenery below changes places with the (Blue) Mountains to the west and the big sky in western Sydney. Instead, my head’s spinning and it’s one continuous stomach-churning blur.

So why invest in a Pitts, I ask? “I’ve always wanted a Pitts because I love aerobatics,” I’m told. “So when this one came on the market I didn’t hesitate to grab it, even though I had to journey north to Queensland to seal the deal. I could’ve gone for the Decathlon but I wanted to go to the next level and the next level meant Pitts Special.”

The S-2B is the owner’s baby. His favourite toy. A 260-horsepower play-thing. Lucky bugger.

“It’s such a manoeuvrable aircraft that the aerobatic routines I performed today are easy to do,” I’m told. “You must have noticed just how easy the aircraft was to manoeuvre. It’s a superb aircraft and I don’t need any excuse to fl y it. I just love it.”

The positives I’ve discovered about this purpose-built aerobatic aircraft include its manoeuvrability, speed, ability to sustain inverted flight (for an impressive three minutes), a quick roll rate, and the fact that, as a tailwheel, it’s competitive and needs to be treated with respect.

Challenging aspects? As forewarned, it is indeed a tricky aeroplane to land and it has some interesting spinning characteristics. The latter observation basically means that if you’re not careful, the S-2B can quickly go from a normal spin to an inverted spin. And the most concerning part about this fact is that when it spins the aircraft loses a lot of height very quickly. So if you find yourself in this scenario, the bite has the potential to hurt. Recovery may be simple but

understanding the aircraft’s limitations is critical.

Today’s test flight also provided me with the answer to a question I’d been dying to ask my flying companion. Why, I wondered, does he have a perpetual smile on his face? Dumb question. “I love aerobatics and never get bored flying this aircraft. It’s everything I need in an aerobatic aeroplane and more. It’s the best roller coaster ride ever.”