It's a Pitts Special

[VTClipper]

Small story for this one. Way back during the 3 non-winter seasons of '86-'87 & 88, like any ski bum I needed an off-season job. I had become tired of restaurant work and never enjoyed carpentry, house painting or landscaping which seemed to be most of the other gigs available. One late May '86 day a friend I'd worked with the previous winter in the ski shop who was a glider pilot took me over to the Sugarbush Airport where I walked into Jim Parker Airshows' hangar and immediately fell head over heels in love with all the Pitts Specials he flew or was servicing (He was a Pitts/Christen Dealer). After a very brief conversation with Jim extolling my relevant skills I was promptly hired as Chief broom-driver & odd job doer around the place for minimum wage. That salary being pretty typical for summer workers I didn't care as long as I got to be around these beautiful Biplanes. Well, about 3 weeks later Jim's A&P/IA Ron took a tumble off his motorcycle on the ride home fracturing his collarbone and lower leg which put him in a wheelchair as obviously, crutches were out of the question. His misfortune was a blessing for me as I received an immediate battlefield promotion to be Ron's hands working on the Pitts'. For the next two months as Ron healed I learned how to work on Pitts directed by Ron's cane jabbing at me and pointing at tools and the aircraft. I would open the aircraft up, or whatever was required as Ron rolled around doing his inspections or whatever was necessary. At the same time I started to take flying lessons from the Sugarbush Soaring Tow Pilot in his C-152 trading flight time for helping him with cleaning and light maintenance on his airplane. Jim was flying his shows in a single seat S-2S so I never got to fly in a Pitts, but did get a tiny bit of time in his Super Decathlon if he needed me to go somewhere with him and would let me fly from the front seat while he growled at me from behind my head. By my third season with him I'd learned enough to be able to assist with many tasks on the aircraft. Jim also acquired a new sponsor and a Pitts S-2B two-holer as his show plane. Before his weekend shows I could expect him to come hustling thru the hangar ordering me to "Grab your chute, we need to do radio/intercom check". He liked to broadcast from the airplane during shows and any crackling or static in the system was unacceptable. This also gave him a chance to see how well I was keeping the belly of the S-2B clean. He'd order me from the back seat to roll inverted and hold altitude and heading. I was still a student pilot at this point so that was no easy feat for me. And oh if the slightest bit of dirt or debris floated up (down...?) to the canopy from the belly...Well, Jim was a Navy Sea-Bee and Vietnam vet. Let's just say he had a very direct way of making me acutely aware of his feelings on this matter. But I finally actually got some stick time in a Pitts and oh, just so amazingly responsive and agile. Then he'd flatten my eyeballs as he threw the Pitts thru various segments of his airshow routine. So this brings us to the black & white photo taken by Ron of me running up a Pitts S-2A (modified with an S-2B canopy) after we completed it's annual in early May 1988. This was the first time they ever trusted me to run a Pitts up solo and you can see from the big grin I was elated at the opportunity to feel that snarling 200hp AEIO-360 alive right in front of me. I just wanted a Pitts so badly...

Fast forward 35 years, 700 tailwheel hours in my Luscombe and now, my Clipper. I still dreamed of owning a Pitts and kept a casual search going, window shopping on Barnstormers. One work day this past early February I saw a pretty Green and White S-2A appear amongst all the experimental S-1s and fiendishly priced S-2Bs & Cs. There was something vaguely familiar about it I just couldn't quite place. "Woah, that one is sweet" I muttered quietly to myself. But I already have and love my Clipper (and prefer being allowed in our house by my sweet spouse) so I looked away. This process was repeated over the next 5 days. I thought it would be gone quickly but there it still was, 6 days after first sighting. I had it up on my screen as I worked (kinda weirdly tormenting) when a young Colleague (who I recently talked into buying an O-320 PA-16 of his own) glanced at it and said "Ooooh...that one is pretty" So I showed him the old B&W photo. Then, I looked closely at the tail in the B&W, and quickly went back to the Advert. Well holy moly, the ad posting was the exact Pitts I was running up back in '88, N49HA. My jaw just hit the floor and my buddy broke into a huge smile and fairly yelled "You gotta call that guy...!" So I did, left a message and followed up texting him the B&W photo. Then spent the next hour or so gripped by the anxiety he'd call me back and to inform he'd just sold it that day. But when he called with a bit of a chuckle over my knowledge of his Pitts he declared it was still available. I took a huge deep breath knowing it was going to be a mad scramble to come up with the dough (anyone want to buy a really nice '68 C3 Corvette Convertible...?) and holy crap, how was I going to pitch this one to my lovely spousal unit. I implored the seller to tell all other potential suitors to get lost and we agreed on the adoption price. Somehow I managed to work it out on both the financial and marital fronts. A week later, I flew down to south Jerz with my IA to inspect it. It was such an amazing experience to step up onto the lower wing and realize the last time I climbed into a Pitts I was a much more limber 26 years old...! I managed to hoist my legs over the edge and settled down into the hole that is a Pitts cockpit. It had been a long time since I had that view. Well, the S-2 held up well to close inspection and the books checked out to my IA's satisfaction (a very experienced Pitts guy) papers were signed, handshakes--and it became mine. I still can't believe it. By then it was dark and being a daytime VFR airplane we had to leave for home without it and then, just because I bought a nice airplane with no heater or lights, winter came back to VT with a vengeance. So now I'm waiting for a nice, warm-ish temp, light-ish wind day to fly it home. It'll live in my hangar with the Clipper and both airplanes will be shared by me and my IA which is a pretty solid deal to keep them both in tip-top condition and properly exercised. So...I finally got my Pitts. Waiting to fly it is the hardest thing ever right now and if I had a nickel for every one of my friends/colleagues who have asked "When are u gonna get your Pitts...?" I could buy the first tank of gas...!

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[blue44]

great story and beautiful plane ! lmk if you need a ride down to pick it up...

[Steve Pierce]

Thanks for sharing that great story. Hope you get to go and get it soon. I was in New Hampshire this past weekend helping assemble some engines and it was windy and cool. Didn't get to go ski flying because of the wind. Want to hear the PIREP when you get it home.

[VTClipper]

great story and beautiful plane ! lmk if you need a ride down to pick it up...

Thanks Donn...! I'm all set for the ride down when the right day presents itself. We'll rip down in the 182 flown by a young colleague who needs the xc time for his ATP then me & the IA will fly the Pitts back flight of 2 with the 182. It'll be good to have the other plane to help keep us out of trouble between Philly and NYC airspace. Our first fuel stop will likely be Orange County tho, not far from Sky Acres....!

[VTClipper]

Thanks for sharing that great story. Hope you get to go and get it soon. I was in New Hampshire this past weekend helping assemble some engines and it was windy and cool. Didn't get to go ski flying because of the wind. Want to hear the PIREP when you get it home.

I bet it was chilly over in NH for a guy from Texas. We got over 2 feet of snow last week here in VT and it's still chilly and windy. I really don't want that first flight to be a teeth rattling rodeo ride. Hopefully I'll get the break I need in early April. And for sure I'll post a PIREP post flight. It'll be interesting to compare the landing characteristics of the S-2A and my O-320 Clipper. And hey, if you're ever up north again and make it to BTV I'd be happy to show you around my work and all our Pipers. Several J3s, two O-320 PA-16s, a PA-12 Super Cruiser among the rest of the GA fleet and our all electric aircraft we're building. www.beta.team