Plaque of Pitts at the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame

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]

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. 1 2 3 "Curtis Pitts, 89; Creator of Popular Pitts Special Aerobatic Biplane". Los Angeles Times. 12 June 2005. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "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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