I was able to land an S2A reliably in a couple hours time. By the end of my 10 or so hours of acro training we went to the big airport and did crosswind landings on hardtop. I could do it, but could tell I needed more time to be good at it. I did not find the S2A to be nearly as easy or forgiving as a cub or a pawnee. The visibility is worse, you need to use periphial vision a lot more. It was wonderful to fly. The airplane did whatever you told it to.
I think the single seat pitts are cheap for a few reasons:
Single seat - not much utility
Low demand - it isn't for everybody
It's not much airplane - at least in terms of materials. The Pitts was one of the original cheap homebuilts. Because of its small size, less 4130 and wood than a bigger biplane, which makes it lest costly to build. Because it's mission is acro, they tend not to be loaded up with a lot of junk on the panel. Junk = weight, weight is bad. The junk on the panel also = money, so the simple panel accounts for part of the low cost.
Whether or not a flat bottom pitts is any good for competition, I have had a few pitts owners/builders sing the praises of the flat bottom pitts. For a recreational guy like me, they say an S1S would not offer a huge advantage. And, they tend to be cheaper. Completely suitable for sportsman.
I have my glider for sale. When it goes, I've got some buddies who are interested in forming a partnership in a 2-seater. Probably an eagle instead of a pitts. You pay a lot more for that second seat.
-- IFMU