Originally Posted by meditek
Managed to get my hands on a Pitts S2C at Stewart Airshow in Florida a couple of years ago. The old Pitts S2 stick had a slightly 'rubbery' feel like the old Lotus Elans. The C felt marvellous. Great prop and ailerons. 8 point rolls were a doddle. Instant recovery from accidental inverted spin. Time flew by.
Funny you should mention the Elan and the Pitts togther...I used to have a 1973 Lotus Elan Sprint, until rolling it and turning it into shredded wheat! The Pitts certainly has a similar roll rate to the one I experienced in the Elan that day, but at least in the Pitts the rolls are endlessly repeatable....
The Elan as I remember it had very crisp controls - gear change like a rifle bolt, steering that worked through telepathy - but the doughnuts in the half-shafts did have a bit of a rubbery feel which meant that acceleration from slow speed was a bit of a "kangaroo petrol" sensation.
Marriage and fatherhood means that my Lotus Elan days are fond memories only, but I'm lucky enough to fly and own an S-2C - which is every bit as good as you describe. Slow rolls (and therefore point rolls) are a lot easier when you have the control authority and harmonisation and the power that the Pitts offers. And it's marvellous being able to fly a sequence without worrying about height loss.. the more usual problem is busting out the top of the 4500' airspace ceiling when doing aeros above the field at 3000'...
Why did you give up flying for so long? I had a 13 year lapse until a friend took me up in his Sukhoi-29 from White Waltham, 10 years ago - then I knew I just
had to get my licence back. And it's not as expensive as I remember - at least, her in Australia, it's not. Of course it's probably a bit more pricey oop north than it is here - you should come and try getting your hand in again.
Anyway, I'm glad to hear you liked the Pitts. Oh, and I can sell you a new S-2C for a bit over US$210k, or a used one for less than $160k, so I'm not surprised you turned him down, at that price. But let me know if you want another test flight - and I can probably arrange the licence requalification as part of the deal....!