Quote:
Originally Posted by NeedSpace
I love the Pitts...always wanted to fly one. CashFlyer, did you ever fly one of these? Thoughts?
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One of those specifically? (An S-2C) No.
I have flown the S-2A and S-2B. The A models have a 360 cid engine, and the B models have a 540 cid engine. The Skybolt pictured in my post belongs to me, and is basically an S-2A clone.
My opinion.... They are all good flyers. By good flyer, I mean it will do exactly what you ask of it. It holds a mirror up for you to see exactly where your skill level is. They don't fly like a Cessna, and I highly recommend getting some type specific training* prior to strapping into one as PIC. They are not very forgiving of sloppy or lazy, but I also would not call them dangerous. They just require a little more pucker. There is very little opportunity to take your hands off the controls and play Candy Crush. Patterns should be tight. Glide ratio is like a streamlined brick. Landing speed is about 40% - 50% faster than a 172.
I find that I really like the B. As they say, there is no replacement for displacement. When you fire up the 540 and it rocks the whole damn airplane, it's really hard to not get wood.
That being said, my Skybolt has the IO-360. Why? Lighter, better fuel economy, and mostly because the project already had it installed. The Skybolt has a little bit more wing area than the Pitts, which allows it to land a little slower and to glide a little better. And the Skybolt cockpit is a little wider, making ingress and egress a little easier, and a little more room is also nice if you are wearing a parachute.
None of them are really good 'cross country' machines, IMO.
If you want to read a lot more, check here:
Pilot Reports on fighters, bombers, antique aircraft and homebuilt aircraft
The guy is a professional contributor to one of the pilot mags, and has a lot of airplane reviews on that page.
* I trained with Steve Wolf.
Meet the team at WingOver Aerobatics LLC
Steve designed a very nice evolution of the single seat Pitts S1 design, which he called the Wolf Pitts. Now that Steve has retired, parts for his design are being produced by Griggs Aircraft:
Griggs Aircraft Refinishing | Wolf Aircraft Products
