Esch
Registered Users
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2012
- Messages
- 32
- Reaction score
- 2
...and the only prescription is, a Pitts Special. At least that's the conclusion I have come to recently. I just joined the forum and introduced myself in this thread:http://www.biplaneforum.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6182
It will be a few years before I can afford a plane, so for the time being I'm going to focus on getting my tailwheel endorsement and building time in whatever's available to me (there's an old Aeronca and a Citabria about an hour and a half away from me, that's the closest tailwheel CFI I am aware of). At some point I'll take a transition course in a two-seater Pitts so I will be ready to buy when a good plane comes along.
I've got a couple of questions for the Pitts owners here. The first one is about the value of a second seat. At first I was sure I had to have a two-seater - why wouldn't I want to give rides all the time to my friends? Plus take my girlfriend on short cross countries if she can handle the discomfort. But the extra expense is a big turnoff. I could get into a single seat Pitts much sooner. For those who don't use the second seat as a way to make money, how necessary or useful has it been? If you've got an S-1, do you find yourself wishing for an S-2?
The second question regards cross countries. I know this is a machine for short aerobatic hops, but I'll only ever be able to afford one plane at a time, so if I want to fly myself somewhere I'll have to put up with the short legs and limited baggage space. Just exactly how limited is the space in your average turtledeck? Approximate dimensions/capacity? I've heard "toothbrush and change of underwear" before but I wasn't sure if that was hyperbole or reality.
It's probably a good idea to say what my intended mission is. I'll work on improving my aerobatics until I feel comfortable enough to get into the contest world. I'm not looking to be super competitive, but I do want to learn as much as I can and participate at whatever level turns out to be appropriate for my skills. Other than that I can see myself doing laps in the pattern (I enjoy landings) and going for an expensive lunch every now and then; perhaps longer trips if I'm feeling adventurous.
It will be a few years before I can afford a plane, so for the time being I'm going to focus on getting my tailwheel endorsement and building time in whatever's available to me (there's an old Aeronca and a Citabria about an hour and a half away from me, that's the closest tailwheel CFI I am aware of). At some point I'll take a transition course in a two-seater Pitts so I will be ready to buy when a good plane comes along.
I've got a couple of questions for the Pitts owners here. The first one is about the value of a second seat. At first I was sure I had to have a two-seater - why wouldn't I want to give rides all the time to my friends? Plus take my girlfriend on short cross countries if she can handle the discomfort. But the extra expense is a big turnoff. I could get into a single seat Pitts much sooner. For those who don't use the second seat as a way to make money, how necessary or useful has it been? If you've got an S-1, do you find yourself wishing for an S-2?
The second question regards cross countries. I know this is a machine for short aerobatic hops, but I'll only ever be able to afford one plane at a time, so if I want to fly myself somewhere I'll have to put up with the short legs and limited baggage space. Just exactly how limited is the space in your average turtledeck? Approximate dimensions/capacity? I've heard "toothbrush and change of underwear" before but I wasn't sure if that was hyperbole or reality.
It's probably a good idea to say what my intended mission is. I'll work on improving my aerobatics until I feel comfortable enough to get into the contest world. I'm not looking to be super competitive, but I do want to learn as much as I can and participate at whatever level turns out to be appropriate for my skills. Other than that I can see myself doing laps in the pattern (I enjoy landings) and going for an expensive lunch every now and then; perhaps longer trips if I'm feeling adventurous.
