In a nice segue from the recently registered Pitts ZK-PUG, the next type of sport aircraft to be registered in New Zealand was John Eaton's Pitts Model 12 ZK-PTS2, which is our only example to date.
Curtis Pitts designed his Pitts Model 12 around the nine cylinder radial Vedeneyev M 14P engine of 360 or 400 HP. He presented the completed design on his 80th birthday in December 1995 and the prototype first flew in March 1996. It is constructed with a welded steel fuselage and wooden wings, all fabric covered. It was also called the "Macho Stinker" (after the second Pitts S 1 was called "Little Stinker" and the first S 2 was called "Big Stinker, and there is also a later version of the S 1 called the Model 11 "Super Stinker").
Soon after the prototype flew, the rights to the design were acquired by Jim Kimball Enterprises of Florida, and Jim's son Kevin has been improving the aircraft ever since. The Kimballs originally made multiple improvements to the aircraft including reducing the wingspan by 2 feet and increasing the length of the ailerons to improve the roll rate to 300 degrees.second, and reducing the length of the aircraft by 10 inches as well as re-designing the rudder and modifying the canopy. Nearly all of the Model 12s to fly have been the Kimball version, and there is a website showing most of these aircraft at: http://www.2wings.com/pages/airplanes/airplanes.htm
The specifications of the Kimball version of the Pitts Model 12 are: length 19 feet 8 inches (6.00 metres), wingspan 22 feet (6.71 metres), empty weight 1,525 pounds (692 Kg)and MAUW 2,250 pounds (1,020 Kg). The cruise speed is around 175 mph and the stall speed is around 64 mph.
ZK-PTS2 (c/n 180) was first registered to John Eaton of North Shore on 11/3/09 and first flew at North Shore airfield on 21/3/10. John told me that he purchased the pre welded fuselage from Jim Kimball Enterprises and he built the rest of the aircraft from plans.
It is photo'd here at the 2011 Brian Langley memorial aerobatic competition at North Shore on 15/1/11, above before starting up with Richard Hood and John Eaton on board.
Curtis Pitts designed his Pitts Model 12 around the nine cylinder radial Vedeneyev M 14P engine of 360 or 400 HP. He presented the completed design on his 80th birthday in December 1995 and the prototype first flew in March 1996. It is constructed with a welded steel fuselage and wooden wings, all fabric covered. It was also called the "Macho Stinker" (after the second Pitts S 1 was called "Little Stinker" and the first S 2 was called "Big Stinker, and there is also a later version of the S 1 called the Model 11 "Super Stinker").
Soon after the prototype flew, the rights to the design were acquired by Jim Kimball Enterprises of Florida, and Jim's son Kevin has been improving the aircraft ever since. The Kimballs originally made multiple improvements to the aircraft including reducing the wingspan by 2 feet and increasing the length of the ailerons to improve the roll rate to 300 degrees.second, and reducing the length of the aircraft by 10 inches as well as re-designing the rudder and modifying the canopy. Nearly all of the Model 12s to fly have been the Kimball version, and there is a website showing most of these aircraft at: http://www.2wings.com/pages/airplanes/airplanes.htm
The specifications of the Kimball version of the Pitts Model 12 are: length 19 feet 8 inches (6.00 metres), wingspan 22 feet (6.71 metres), empty weight 1,525 pounds (692 Kg)and MAUW 2,250 pounds (1,020 Kg). The cruise speed is around 175 mph and the stall speed is around 64 mph.
It is photo'd here at the 2011 Brian Langley memorial aerobatic competition at North Shore on 15/1/11, above before starting up with Richard Hood and John Eaton on board.
Lining up for take off on Runway 03.
and arriving back for a seemingly pretty fast touch down.
John Eaton has made a lovely job of his Pitts Model 12 and I was privileged to be able to watch it coming together over the years I used to visit John in his hangar at North Shore. As an example John has his family crest on the forward fuselage as in the photo below. You can see the spectacular finish of John's aircraft in my shadow reflected as I took the photo.
ZK-PTS2 has not flown much in the last couple of years but we look forward to seeing in the air again soon.
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