Originally Posted by vupilot

I have 75 hours in the S-2A, S-2B, S-2C. Those will cost you upwards of $70K for 2 seats. The single seat S-1S is cheaper at around $30K. Unless you go with a flat wing S-1C or D Any of the symetrical wing Pitts' will be more capable an airplane than you will likely ever be as its pilot. In other words your skills will most likely always be the limiting factor not the airplanes performance, unless you just happen to have amazing natural talent.

Steve Wolf is the worlds premier Pitts mod guru, truly a master craftsman. When Sean Tucker wants new wings built, Steve Wolf builds them for him. Steve Wolf designed most every mod Sean Tucker uses and now we see them on many Pitts' The new cowling, the new wings, the modified RV style landing gear, new tail, etc. You are lucky to have Steve Wolf so close to you, if you buy a Pitts get your training from him and you wont regret it. His time is surely not cheap but worth it.

If you can get your private pilot certificate training in a tailwheel airplane to build tailwheel hours you will have a much easier time getting insurance for your Pitts when the time comes.

Have to echo what VUPILOT said ! Sean Tucker and I grew up out in Monterey county so I've spent a lot of time around and flying the Pitts. In reference to Steve Wolf...not much to say, he's the MASTER. He would be one of only a few places I would ever go for quality Pitts training.

I reference to owning a Pitts, after being and airplane owner, the best way to own an airplane is to have somebody else own it. The one big problem with a Pitts is that it is really only good for one thing, competition acro. You cant go anywhere in it (no gas), its not very comfortable, and the resale market is a very small % of the pilot population (especially for the single seat Pitts). The pluses, its built very well and is one of the most capable airplanes out there, just about everybody has started out in a Pitts, and its the best E ticket ride in town !

In closing, spend a lot of time flying the airplane (don't stop flying it until the hanger doors are closed). Get a guy like Steve Wolf to do a pre-purchase inspection, he knows what to look for. There are some real boat anchors out there and you can get stung real bad, especial with a airplane that gets janked on all the time. Lastly, get some quality instruction from Steve Wolf's flight school, Sean Tucker has a flight school just south of Salinas, Ca, we have 2 S2-C's, 1 S2-B, and 2 Extra 300L's www.teamoracle.com . Good luck...its a drug baby !!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve

Vupilot , Sherman , Earle , WT and 3Dav8r.......

Thanks for all the advice you guys have given me. I think my first step is going to be emailing Steve Wolf and get a couple rides with him scheduled. Once i go up , check out what it's really like , i'll be able to make a decision on weather i want to go through with this idea. I have a really good feeling that it's probably going to scare the crap out of me at first , but then i'll start to enjoy it more and more every minute i'm up there.

I DO want to get a good few years under my belt , and plenty of hours on a cessna first , then attempt to fly a pitts. I'll probably go through Steve as well. And then later in the future , either own or rent a pitts and take it from there.

I am kind of an adrenaline junkie to be honest. Racing motocross for 30+ years can help a little in situations like this. Bad thing is...if you push it to far on a bike , you get hurt , banged up...possibly some broken bones. In a pitts....if you screw up , your lucky if you ever have a second chance.


Again guys.....thanks for all the advice. I actually copied and printed all this out to put into my flying folder i'm making. Been watching some DVD's and going through some flight books just trying to learn everything i can. Hopefully one day i'll look back on all this and wonder why i didn't get away from the bikes earlier and start learning and practicing to become a pilot.

Originally Posted by 3dav8r

...........Lastly, get some quality instruction from Steve Wolf's flight school, Sean Tucker has a flight school just south of Salinas, Ca, we have 2 S2-C's, 1 S2-B, and 2 Extra 300L's www.teamoracle.com . Good luck...its a drug baby !!!!!!!!!!!!

Steve

Hey Steve....do you know Gary Vincenz? He owns the FBO at Salinas airport.

And Jeff...good luck on your adventures in extreme flight!!!!!!!!
Earle

Originally Posted by Pistolera

Hey Steve....do you know Gary Vincenz? He owns the FBO at Salinas airport.

And Jeff...good luck on your adventures in extreme flight!!!!!!!!
Earle

I've met Gary but dont know him well, usually hang out on the other side of the airport with all the riff-raff

Been a Pitts love since the first time I saw one and got the chance to go up in a beautiful S-2A a couple of years ago on a perfect autum day.Open cockpit and it was the thrill of a life time.I would tell anyone not to ever pass up the chance to go up in one,it compares to no other plane I've ever been up in.Go for it!!!

Originally Posted by 3dav8r

I've met Gary but dont know him well, usually hang out on the other side of the airport with all the riff-raff

He's my brother-in-law. If you see him again, tell him Earle said to give you a nice bottle of wine

Ahhhh....the good 'ol days. Sold her in '92....new owner ran her out of fuel and destroyed her trying to land in an orange grove.

May she rest in peace

Earle

So just who is this PISTOLERA?

1988 IAC UNLIMITED CHAMPION????

That guy in the cockpit couldn't be any older than 25..... That wouldhave made you 5 years old when you won!~ Wass up wit dat?

Give us some details Mr. Andrews!

Matt Chapman

1994 IAC UNLIMITED CHAMPION!
(and I'll just stop there so as to not make you feel too bad!)

Hey Matt, glad you chimed in here:
I don't know if you remember, but last year you landed at Harnett County, NC airport (HRJ), for refueling on your way to an airshow. We met, and you came down to my hangar and looked at my S-2B I was rebuilding. Well, it's been finished for a couple months now, and I've been flying/practicing the sportsman sequence. I'm enjoyng this plane, and thinking of building a monoplane, as I miss having something to build. I hope your Buker is coming along well.
If your ever near HRJ again on your way to an airshow, stop by. Scott Miller

Originally Posted by Matt Chapman

So just who is this PISTOLERA?

1988 IAC UNLIMITED CHAMPION????

That guy in the cockpit couldn't be any older than 25..... That wouldhave made you 5 years old when you won!~ Wass up wit dat?

Give us some details Mr. Andrews!

Matt Chapman

1994 IAC UNLIMITED CHAMPION!
(and I'll just stop there so as to not make you feel too bad!)

Matt WHO????? Oh yea, now I remember.....you always seemed to score slightly LOWER.

BTW - you ain't no spring chicken anymore either

Earle

Earle......Great picture you posted here!! How did you get that shot by the way? A remote camera of some type? Also....the one you sold to another pilot that landed it in an orange grove...did he come out with some bumps and bruises , hopefully that's all he got.

And scottM....post up some pictures and info of your S-2B. Is it your first aerobatic airplane? I'd be curious to see what your thoughts are as in the money and time you spent on it.....was it worth every penny? And last but not least....how do you like flying that sucker?

This thread is turning out awesome. lets keep it alive! Hell , throw in some mono-wings stuff to if you got it.

Originally Posted by JEFFRO503

Earle......Great picture you posted here!! How did you get that shot by the way? A remote camera of some type? Also....the one you sold to another pilot that landed it in an orange grove...did he come out with some bumps and bruises , hopefully that's all he got.

And scottM....post up some pictures and info of your S-2B. Is it your first aerobatic airplane? I'd be curious to see what your thoughts are as in the money and time you spent on it.....was it worth every penny? And last but not least....how do you like flying that sucker?

This thread is turning out awesome. lets keep it alive! Hell , throw in some mono-wings stuff to if you got it.

Yep...remote camera mounted on the I-strut with shutter release in cockpit.

As far as the :25:hole that crashed it, he walked away, but the Pitts was pretty much destroyed. I coulda killed him when I found out:22a: .....shucks, he'd only owned it for a month or so

Here's a better pic...without me in it
Earle

I will try and post pictures sometime soon. It's painted in the competition scheme in blue/white/red. It's a 1993 S-2B with 500TT. It was wrecked when it ran out of fuel, and put into a field. Lot's of new parts, and fabrication, a few mods - but still certified, and fully recovered. I did all the work myself, of course supervised by an IA, and only farmed out the paint work since I didn't have a paint booth. I hope to do a paint booth soon, and maybe do a monoplane like a DR-109.

It's my first real aerobatic plane, as I've had Citabria's and such. I also own an RV-4 along with this Pitts. The Pitts is awesome, and has huge performance for the price. It was very expensive to re-build, and took 1 1/2 years, but was worth every penny and bead of sweat. I'm practicing the Sportsman sequence, and it's taking me longer to get sick on each flight, and hope to compete in maybe 3 contests a year - at least that is the plan right now. For me there is nothing like aerobatics with yourself along for the ride. Scott Miller

That's awesome Scott....i can't wait for the pictures! Damn , i would love to be in your shoes. You are about 7-8 years ahead of me i think ( maybe 10). I wish you luck man.....i'm jealous as hell though....uuhhgg! hehe.

And Earle....that was one nice lookin' pitts you had there. I would have been pissed to. I have sold things to buddies only to watch the item get destroyed , and that feeling really sucks. I'm glad the guy walked away...but to be honest , it probably wouldn't have hurt anyone if he would of at least got some good bruising or something HAHA!! Well.....it sounds like the guy probably took it pretty hard in the pocket book though. All that money and only one month of flying.....yeah , that's gotta hurt!

Earle.... do you have any photos of the 'remains' of your old S1-T? I gues sthe noes art cold be something like "Ms. Tropicana"......or "fresh Squeezed"