Curtis Pitts

Curtis Pitts (December 9, 1915 – June 10, 2005) of Stillmore, Georgia, was an American designer of a series of popular aerobatic biplanes, known as the Pitts Special.[1]

Plaque of Pitts at the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame

Career

Pitts grew up in Americus, Georgia and his first airplane was a Waco F.

He designed and built the S-1, specifically for aerobatics, in 1945.[2]

He also designed the Pitts Samson, built in 1948 for aerobatic pilot Jess Bristow. The Samson was destroyed in a mid-air collision around 1950.[3]

The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC has called Pitts' 1943 design "revolutionary because of its small size, light weight, short wingspan and extreme agility".[1]

Curtis Pitts died of complications from a heart valve replacement at his home in Homestead, Florida on June 10, 2005.[1][2]

Pitts was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991,[4] and the Air Show Hall of Fame in 2002.[2]

In the 1980 aviation drama film Cloud Dancer Curtis Pitts appears in a brief scene, played by Woodrow Chambliss.

See also

References
  1. "Curtis Pitts, 89; Creator of Popular Pitts Special Aerobatic Biplane". Los Angeles Times. 12 June 2005. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  2. "Curtis Pitts". International Council of Air Shows Foundation. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  3. "Pitts Samson". Archived from the original on 2009-10-21.
  4. "Curtis Pitts". Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on June 2, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2018.


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