Curtis Pitts (December 9, 1915 - June 10, 2005) of Stillmore, Georgia, was an American designer of a series of aerobatic biplane aircraft, known as the Pitts Special.
Career
Pitts first designed and built the Pitts Special S-1 aircraft in 1945, which was made specifically for aerial acrobatics.
He also designed the Pitts Samson, built in 1948 for aerobatic pilot Jess Bristow. The Samson was destroyed in an in-flight collision around 1950.
Curtis grew up in Americus, Georgia, and his first plane was a Waco F.
The Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., called the aircraft Pitts created in 1943 "revolutionary because of its small size, light weight, short wingspan and extreme agility."
Curtis Pitts died at his home due to complications from a heart valve replacement in Homestead, Florida on June 10, 2005.
16 июн 2024
