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Old 01-16-2011 | 07:59 PM
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Cpt Crash
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From: Grants, NM
Default RE: Why no love for the Pitts S1????

The Pitts is one of the coolest airplanes out there, but they are squirrely, with that little stubby rudder and the short coupling. Once they are airborne, they become incredible aerobatic machines. But that transition... from ground to air and then back, that's where they will bite you. I flew with a friend in a fullsize Christen Eagle 2, and the takeoff and landing are both periods of outright terror. You can't see a damn thing, and it's always trying to switch ends. The "rudder dance" you need to do on rollout is only for the very brave and skilled. From what I've seen of model Pitts, the same is true. As one old pro at the field said, "You don't land a Pitts. It will decide when it wants to land."