The Pitts Special is a series of light aerobatic biplanes designed by Curtis Pitts and currently manufactured by Aviat. It has been in production since its first flight in September 1944 and has accumulated numerous competition wins. The Pitts biplanes dominated world aerobatic competition in the 1960s and 1970s and, to this day, remain popular competition aircraft in lower categories.
Curtis Pitts began designing a single-seat aerobatic biplane in 1943-1944. Since the prototype’s first flight, the design has been refined continuously, but the current Pitts S-2 remains similar to the original concept and design. Some of the aircraft that Pitts built had a picture of a skunk on them and were called “Stinkers.” Betty Skelton, an aerobatic performer, called the second aircraft that Pitts built “Little Stinker” after she purchased it. The prototype S-2 was “Big Stinker,” the prototype Model 11 was “Super Stinker,” and the prototype Model 12 was “Macho Stinker.”
Pitts Enterprises was set up by Curtis Pitts in 1962 to sell plans of the S-1C to homebuilders. Currently, certified versions of the Pitts are produced by Aviat Aircraft in Afton, Wyoming. It is available as the S-1 single-seater with an up to 200 hp flat-4 Lycoming engine and a 17 ft 4 in wingspan, or as the S-2 two-seater variant featuring a 260 hp flat-6 Lycoming and a 20 ft wingspan. The Pitts Specials have been equipped with engines of up to 450 hp. Plans for the single-seat Pitts S-1S are also available from Aviat Aircraft, while Steen Aero Lab in Palm Bay, Florida supplies the S-1C and derivative S-1SS plans and kits. Hundreds of homebuilders have successfully completed and flown the Pitts since plans became available in 1960.
The aircraft was popularized by air show performers such as Betty Skelton and Caro Bayley, which led to the offering of plans in 1962. The Pitts has a rich operational history and has been used by pilots for various applications including aerobatics, air racing, and training.