It's far too good.
As some of you may know, I've been doing basic aeros in a Robin 2160. On Wednesday, I did my first Pitts flight.
To compare the two aircraft is unfair. The Robin is a refined two seat trainer, as comfortable doing loops as rolls as it is making cross country trips, with all the instruments, range and comfort to make that a easy proposition. It's outstanding visibility, balance and good manners make it feel safe too. In all, the Robin is a nice little package.
The Pitts however is a mutant beast with horns, and everyone should fly one at least once.
So, err, down to comparing the incomparable:
Some things were expected. The silly roll rate, the point and shoot handling, the spartan instruments. Some things were bananas. Want to get out of balance? Make a plane drive like a car with flat turns! Daft, but after that you start to wonder if there's anything it can't do.
In one of Mike Goulian's books, there's the phrase "if you've got enough wrist action to stir a coffee, you can roll a Pitts". Confirmed. Having slightly barreled an aileron roll by inadvertantly pulling a bit, I tried a new stick technique. Thumb and forefinger only. Oh joy. I suspect you could probably even pull it off just by pressing the stick with one finger alone!
So what else? Is it as easy to fly as everyone says? Yes and no. Yes, somethings feel like a complete doddle. I've never flown a good slow roll in the Robin, but in the Pitts it was a pleasure, as were most of the other basic figures. But there's a price to pay for the ridiculous power to weight ration, and sometimes you start paying that price just when you're mind is already rather occupied. Stall turns were going to need more than my pull, check upline, kick at 60 etc series of inputs. There was alot more going on in quite a few axis at the top, in rapid succession. I suspect that inverted spins are just around the corner when a Pitts is in the wrong hands.
Other things. The 7 point Hooker harness may be de-riguer equipment, but the nature of the seat means you can still 'slop' around a bit, even having ratcheted to just above doing 'fuel shutoff' to your legs. The 5 pointer on the Robin, combined with the bucket seating, really does bind you to the aircraft in a way that I wasn't in the S2.
All in all though it's a rock and roll aeroplane. The Pitts advert sums it up nicely.
PYSCHO
THERAPY
Of which I'll be getting more of in just over a week
