There is a really good chance you will not be able to repair it after the first flight. You have to learn to crawl and walk before you can run, there is a process to learning how to fly these things, it is not hard to do but you need to follow the right steps to do it. Walking into a Pitts would not be your best approach.

Take this from a guy who had a Corsair haning up for 5 years before I dared to try to fly it. Listen to the advise you will get here it is generally pretty good.