Curtis Pitts on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Curtis Pitts (December 9, 1915 – June 10, 2005) of
Pitts grew up in
Budd Davisson's website
- Source for Pitts information.
Pitts Specials Formation Aeroabtic Team
- A father and son Pitts team. They fly formation aerobatics, as well as inverted formations. 1915 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American engineers {{US-engineer-stub
Stillmore, Georgia
Stillmore is a city in Emanuel County, Georgia, United States. The population was 532 at the 2010 census, down from 730 in 2000.
Geography
Stillmore is located in southeastern Emanuel County at (32.441176, -82.214637). Georgia State Route 57 ...
, was an American design
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
er of a series of popular aerobatic biplanes, known as the Pitts Special
The Pitts Special (company designations S-1 and S-2) 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 ae ...
.
Career
Pitts grew up in Americus, Georgia
Americus is the county seat of Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Schley an ...
and his first airplane was a Waco
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...
F.
He designed and built the S-1, specifically for aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...
, in 1945.
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.
The Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
has called Pitts' 1943 design "revolutionary because of its small size, light weight, short wingspan and extreme agility".
Curtis Pitts died of complications from a heart valve
A heart valve is a one-way valve that allows blood to flow in one direction through the chambers of the heart. Four valves are usually present in a mammalian heart and together they determine the pathway of blood flow through the heart. A heart ...
replacement at his home in Homestead, Florida on June 10, 2005.
Pitts was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame
The Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame recognizes aviation pioneers and contributors associated with the state of Georgia. The museum was created in 1989 by Governor Joe Frank Harris signing House Bill 110. The law called for a 15-member board to overse ...
in 1991, and the Air Show Hall of Fame in 2002.
In popular culture
In the 1980 aviation drama film ''Cloud Dancer
''Cloud Dancer'' is a 1980 aviation drama film directed by Barry Brown. The film stars David Carradine, Jennifer O'Neill and Joseph Bottoms. ''Cloud Dancer'' follows a competition aerobatics pilot throughout his show season.
Plot
Brad Randolph ...
'' Curtis Pitts appears in a brief scene, played by Woodrow Chambliss
Woodrow Lewis Chambliss (October 14, 1914 in Bowie, Texas – January 8, 1981 in Ojai, California) was an American character actor who appeared in both feature films and television. He is probably best known for his appearances as several chara ...
.
See also
*1943 in aviation
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1943:
Events
* Watanabe Iron Works transfers its aircraft manufacturing business to a new subsidiary, the Kyushu Airplane Company Ltd.
January
* January 5 – In support of the American occupation ...
References
External links
Budd Davisson's website
- Source for Pitts information.
Pitts Specials Formation Aeroabtic Team
- A father and son Pitts team. They fly formation aerobatics, as well as inverted formations. 1915 births 2005 deaths 20th-century American engineers {{US-engineer-stub