I’ve been back in the air in an aerobatic aircraft. I managed to persuade a fellow glider pilot and tug pilot Fred Best, to take me for a ride in a Pitts S2c.
Upside down in the front seat of the Pitts.
This is a bigger two-seat version of the aerobatic biplane that I owned for many years. The S2C has redesigned wings, a bigger engine and performs much better than my little old plane. But it still has a steel tube fuselage and wooden wings, all covered in fabric, a little old-fashioned these days. This was a nostalgic day for me – the plane was in the same hangar that my Pitts occupied for years, the AOPA hangar at Bankstown. It all seemed quite familiar.
The Pitts belongs to Peter Townsend of the Australian Aerobatic Academy. I knew Peter from when we used to fly in aerobatic competitions many years ago. He’s still competing. Fred flies this Pitts regularly.
Fred took me for a trip out towards the Blue Mountains for some “gentleman’s aerobatics” – that is, not too many Gs and nothing too violent! That suited me well as I haven’t done any serious aerobatics for many years now. The acceleration on takeoff is truly impressive and the climb rate amazing.
We did some loops, rolls, spins, stall turns and a flick roll. I handled the controls for a while and found it a fine aircraft. Excellent fun. I made a short video with my GoPro. I couldn’t do too much filming during the aerobatics as I had to hold on tight to the camera!
It was good to get back into the air in a powerful aerobatic machine.
