 {| |} right|thumb|lil stinker in the smithsonian right|thumb|s-1s right|thumb|modified s-1s right|thumb|modified s-1s  right|thumb|2001 aviat pitts s-2c right|thumb|s1-11b pitts special thumb|right|pitts s-2a thumb|right|cockpit of pitts s-2a thumb|right|pitts s-2b thumb|right|pitts s-1e thumb|right|pitts s-1t thumb|right|pitts special in flight the pitts special (company designations s1 and s2) is a series of light aerobatic biplanes designed by curtis pitts. it has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. the pitts biplanes dominated world aerobatic competition in the 1960s and 1970s and, even today, remain a potent competition aircraft in the lower categories.montgomery and foster 1992, p. 92."plane and pilot" 1977, p. 84. ==design and development== curtis pitts began the design of a single-seat aerobatic biplane in 1943â1944.taylor 1980, p. 899. the design has been refined continuously since the prototype's first flight in september 1944, however, the current pitts s2 still remains quite close to the original in concept and in design. several of the aircraft that curtis pitts built had a picture of a skunk on them and were called "stinkers". after she bought it, aerobatic performer betty skelton called the second aircraft that curtis built, "lil' stinker". the prototype s-2, which was the first two-seat pitts, was "big stinker", the prototype model 11 (later called s1-11b) was "super stinker", and the prototype model 12 was the "macho stinker".the pitts model 12 palmer aeroworks limited, 2 may 2008. retrieved: 6 august 2008. in 1962 curtis pitts set up pitts enterprises to sell plans of the s-1c to homebuilders.simpson 1991, p. 125. ==operational history== all single-seat (s-1) and two-seat (s-2) p
Aerobatic_aircraft Aviat_aircraft Biplanes Pitts_aircraft Single-engined_tractor_aircraft United_States_sport_aircraft_1940a1949