Fun flying w you, Scott! Let’s circle back for that tailwheel endorsement when I settle into a new airplane!

As I understand it, a Pitts is never out of control unless you actually see the propeller strike the ground.

It was so much fun to hear the joy in Scott's voice while he recalled the experience. It's not often as a grown adult, you get to have that kind of child-like glee.

I have 10 hours in a Pitts-all takeoffs and landings. It was the best thing I ever did as a pilot. That training honed my stick and rudder skills to a razor’s edge. Plus, NOTHING flies like a Pitts!

I flew a Pitts S2C 30 yrs ago. If you just think a maneuver, you already did it. Spent all my hours in sailplanes and a Stearman PT-17. It's an addiction.

Lots of years ago, I got my daughter, for her 16rth birthday, a ride in a Stearman, out of Oakland. 27R. Front seat, goggles, flight jacket, strapped in, all good. So the pilot took off and immediately turned the damn thing upside down. With my daughter in it. She loved it, I was scared. I was the one on the ground.

"Fly safe" has taken on an especially relevant meaning these days! Very cool you got to share such a cool experience with your son as well. Cheers!

I had a roommate that worked for Great Lakes before they moved to another state. They were trying to develop a Pitts like version and famously had the engine depart from the rest of the aircraft. Creating an extremely tail heavy configuration. So, their test pilot managed to mush the thing into a landing in an open field and wasn't injured.

when I worked at Boeing Seattle, there was someone, who owned a Pitts, who would fly at lunch time, you know an hour of acro over Lake Washington. it was amazing to watch

What a great video! Thank you Scott, and your son will always be able to say he had his first flying lesson in a Pitts Special. What a cool Dad!

As much as I love aviation I've only been in one airplane ever. Luckily it was a Red Baron Pizza Stearman biplane. I was a frozen food manager and was able to get a promotion flight with them. We got to do a lot of stunts that they used to fly in their airshow. Still a highlight. I've walked under that Spitts many times at the National Air and Space museum.

I’ve been to so many air shows where Pitts have done their thing… it’s an amazing tiny aircraft. Congratulations.. it looks so much fun… well done Scott.

I remember watching the 'Pitts" in awe as a youngster back in the 60's. Very cool plane. What a treat to fly in one!

Scott! I also flew in this very aircraft (9QT) back in 1999 (had to check my logbook) when I was prepping for my CFI check ride at Marion Indiana! Couldn't believe it when I seen it in your video,had my mouth hanging open several minutes! Lol thanks for taking me back!

I'm glad you were able to get this necessary training in Upset Recovery Maneuvers. It will surely help you in any Unusual Attitudes you may find yourself in.

Pitts Special is legendary!

Civil Air Patrol is also an amazing resource for anyone looking to get their license! At 17 you can apply for cadet wings, which will help you get your PPL for practically free!

That is super cool! When I got my pilots license at age 19, I decided to try some aerobatics. The Cessna 152 was stressed for 4.5 Gs and could do spins so I figured that I didn’t need lessons - reading about it was enough. :) I wasn’t supposed to do loops but I figured that if I kept my speed up they would be fine. (the failure mode was supposed to be if you got into a tail slide) I did almost kill myself doing spins though because I entered the spin at 2000 feet instead of 3000 feet. Recovering at 500 feet instead of 1500 was a bit of a surprise. :) Anyway DONT do what I did. It was possibly the stupidest thing I ever did. :)

That was just so AWESOME!! I bet your logbook -- and Orion's -- will raise some eyebrows when either of you next goes for a new certification!! Bravo! Thanks so much for sharing!!!!

That footage with your son was just the best; super cool you get to share that with him!!

My bro-in-law took me up in his Piper Cub, a WW2 veteran, with wood wing structure. As I got into the front seat, he casually said, "Those two bars coming down to the top of the instrument panel are called, "JC bars." I asked, "What does that mean?" He responded, "You'll see." At one point in the flight he shouted, "Look down there!", and cranked the ship into a severe right hand-diving turn. I shouted, "Jesus Christ! and grabbed the bars. He calmly retorted, "See?" Thanks for letting us watch you on your flying journey ... may you NEVER need a chute!

Scott, you really took me back with this video. I completed my commercial training in a French-built Robin DR400, since we needed to demonstrate recovery from full spins. What a blast! If you follow normal spin recovery in a Robin, you come out inverted. The flight test concluded with the examiner putting the Robin through a loop - not a requirement, just a bonus. BTW, there are only two kinds of tail-dragger pilots - those who have and those who will. Ground loop, that is. 😧

Keep up the aerobatic journey, Scott. It will make you a better stick and rudder pilot--as you already know--besides, it is just plain fun. Look up your local IAC chapter and you will find some more like-minded pilots who might even get you involved in your first contest.

I got to do some aerobatics a few years ago with a pilot in Petaluma who had an old ex-Chinese Nanchang CJ-6. Aerobatics are so much fun! I loved seeing your reaction to it. Fly safe!

Demonstrated great control and awareness Scott. Great work, take care.

Scott, following your aviation content is just as entertaining as your other videos and it motivates me to continue with my flight training.

Unusual attitude Training makes for better pilots.

Awesome video Scott!! Thank you very much for bringing us along on your adventure!!!!

I've always loved the Pitts at airshows, so much fun to watch! I'm totally envious that you actually got to fly one!

Thanks for bringing us along!

Love the fly anything attitude Scott. Thanks for taking me along!

Super cool, Scott. Thanks for sharing!

This was great! This is the sort of awesome content that KZfaq is meant to have.

Great to see, Scott. My primary school was under an airforce aerobatic practice area, so we saw lots of aerobatics and formation flying practice. Macchi jets, IIRC. In high school one of my friends and his Dad built a Corby Starlet. I lost touch when he went racing motorbikes.

I got to meet Curtis Pits in 1980 while filming the movie Cloud Dancer I was an extra in that and got to see some fantastic flying if you ever get a chance to see it. Got my ticket in '81.

What an awesome experience Scott. Very happy for you but please “fly safe”. Cheers!

what a great video, had a smile on my face the whole time as your experience was passed on through the video.

Awesome 😎. The 1994 game Flight Unlimited got me acquainted with the Pitts Special and inspired me to get a pilots license 5 years later. I've never had the chance to fly one for reals, but I did a lot of aerobatics over the years. Thanks for bringing back memories!

My favourite parts of our local airshows were watching the Pitts Specials and the Stearmans. What a cool opportunity you had!

thank you for sharing this

What an incredible experience this must have been! Thanks for the video!

Well done and congrats for getting a ride/fly in that great classic plane.

Good on ya for making that your kid's first flight lesson. My dad did something similar for me with my first 30 mins of logged time spent doing loops and rolls in a WWII Navy SNJ-5.

YES! Well done, Scott! More aviation content like this please🤩

Really happy you got this experience and certification Scott! There was some real joy on your face!

I took a ride in Freddy Cavaness Pitts special in Key West before he passed in an accident in Mexico. What an absolute legend. I had eight hours of flying time and told him that I’ve been in an extra 300 once before. He told me that plane is missing a wing. He then proceeded to take me on a 9G full air show routine, that had me about 8 feet off the ocean water at 215mph. I know we were low because people were waving down as we flew past them on a 2 story boat. I would like to say that I didn’t puke this time. I almost made it the whole way through until we went to land, and he did one more high g maneuver. RIP to a legend.

I remember aerobatic training in a Pitts Special back in the '90s. Loads of fun!!

I did seven flights in the CCF at school, and have done a few in small planes and micro lights since. Always good to see the next generation being encouraged to do things like this.

I was happy to see you and your kid so happy! Fly safe!

It never gets old: The modern aircraft is designed in space age materials in collaboration with NASA via CAD/CAM. The Pitts is designed in bashed aluminum sheets, wood and fabric with pencil and ruler in collaboration with ..... a big brain that controls the pencil and the ruler. Look at that little bug: it's magnificent.

Wonderful! A friend of me bought a Pitts a year ago, and he has been a big smile since then!

Keep in mind that even with a good aerobatic oil system, prolonged knife edge flight results in no oil pressure. This is because the oil pickups are in the oil sump (pan) and on the top of the engine for inverted flight. Flying with both these pickups in the horizontal position results in the oil pump sucking air. While each system and it's assembly is different, most have a 30 second limitation for true knife-edge flight.

Happy for you Scott.

Congrats on your first barrel roll maneuver Scott! That's so awesome :D

I witnessed a Pitts land on top of a C172 at Arlington Airport in WA several years ago. The C172 had just lifted off and the Pitts was on final. It was a sickening crunch and both planes fell in a heap on the runway. We ran out there to help and both pilots only had minor injuries and were fairly easy to extricate. The C172 was smoking badly and I was concerned a fire could break out at any time. It was scary and also a miracle. I believe both planes were totaled. The visibility issues in a Pitts are real. But, the C172 didn't see the Pitts either.

I worked for a very short while at the Cirrus factory in Duluth Minnesota in the painting and body departments. It's a heck of a place to visit if you ever get a chance.

17:08 "Fly safeish", your new motto when flying acrobatics.

Scott Congratulations on your Pilot License !!!!! And in a small way me not knowing how to fly a plane , I can understand your desire to fly that little Red Beauty !

That Pitts is beautiful! Loved seeing your excitement flying such a fun aircraft, reminds me of my first time riding a motorcycle 🤩

Smiling during the loop. 👍🏼

Love the fire extinguisher in the pants jab there! Good job!

Excellent... I get the feeling that you enjoyed that!

I'm so happy for you, Scott, in having found one of the most rewarding experiences one can have...sport aviation. Reminds me years and years ago in my first experience in a Christen Eagle II. I hope you and your son can share aviation together. I didn't have that pleasure because I had no son to share it with. But I wish you all the best in aviation.

I never smiled so much, ear to ear, watching an aviation video, before. This may get me home and into a situation where I finally take flying lessons. Thank you for this! And way stoked for ya!

Congratulations on giving your son a memorable experience for his first flying lesson in an awesome plane.

This is a cool video. Thanks for bringing us along! Fly safe! (Or stunts)

I see one of these joyriding up above in the local area from time to time - they really are fun to watch doing all those crazy high g manoeuvres.

Great stuff Scott

This reminds me of learning to fly with my dad in his Tiger Moth when I was 8 years old. Sitting on a thick bolster I could use the stick, but it was a couple more years before I could reach the rudder pedals 😄

I don't even watch anything about flying planes, but your videos and your joy of sharing it are super nice to watch, thanks for share this with us!

I say this with all the senserity of a Mancunian. You are a bonified mad jock my friend. You are brilliant. Well done.

I got to ride in the front of one of those once. Flying straight and level while inverted... I'm never going to forget that.

My first Pitts flight was in that actual airplane (9QT) a couple owners ago when it was based in Indiana. Shortly after that I bought a Skybolt (similar biplane) and now fly aerobatics at least twice a week. I hope you keep going down this road Scott - there aren't enough tailwheel pilots around, and we need more people learning how to fly these airplanes. It's a disappearing skill. Thanks for the great videos!

Scott, I'm glad you had fun 😮

Its arms forces weekend here in sunny cleethorpes and the 2 stunt piolts yesterday were just throwing their planes around like it was nothing. In tandem they went to a vertical stall then came down on wingtips and powered out of it still sideways. Was bloody impressive

Back in the 80's/90's I used to go to the airshow in Livermore CA, and there a team who flew a pair of Pitts. They were one of the best parts of the show every year and the reason my family went every year. I believe they were called The Tahoe Aces, but it's been so long IDK for sure. That airshow certainly lead to my love of aviation and a 30 year career.

Great video, Scott...👍👍

Omg as a fan and a pilot, I love your videos and enthusiasm for all things Aviation

I am so jealous! Great video keep them coming.

Not a pilot but love to fly. I bought some time in a Waco a few years back and the pilot allowed me some stick time. I was able to fly a more or less decent loop. Of course the Waco is no Pitts but it was still fun. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing!! Spin training in the little Cessna 150 I trained in was a hoot. This story isn't about a PItts, but it's close... one day I was at my house, and I saw a Christensen Eagle (a small biplane like the Pitts) flying a straight and quick line at probably 2500' AGL. I said out loud, "Cool! Do a trick!" And, at the very end of my statement, as if it was the punctuation, the pilot initiated a perfect loop. I was elated, and hoped that the pilot, while recovering from inverted, caught a glimpse of me waving and jumping up and down on the ground, yelling "YES!! NIIIICE!! WOoohooo!". SO glad to see you out flying, Scott, and your son too! Always wanted to do some real aerobatics beyond just the spin training and parabolas. I may just have to get current again. :) Fly safe!

Wow time flies(no pun intended). I think last time I saw any of your kids they were so small and you played KSP. So many years must have passed!

Have been up in a Pitts a few times over the Sydney area, where the pilot is in a small bubble canopy, but the front passenger is in an open cockpit, getting the full experience. We did low tight circles over the Sydney Harbor Bridge before heading out over the harbor to do acrobatics. I knew not to eat anything before going up in a Pitts with a skilled pilot. Amazing plane.

I'm waiting for Scott to start his Astronaut training on the T38!

When I was a kid I got a ride in one of these and it hooked me on aviation forever.

There's a Pitts special that does airshows in the UK that has 2 small jet engines mounted to it too. Allows it to hover nose up. Amazing to watch.

Impressive and congrats on getting your license! I'm not a pilot, but when I was 20 and on PROTRAMID (I went to the Naval Academy and served a full career as a SWO and now retired), we all got to fly in the T-34Cs and the IP showed me how to roll and do a loop. I got to do both maneuvers above the Panhandle and it was AWESOME! But then my eyes went bad and they weren't really doing laser surgery in 1999, so I drove ships instead. But I know just enough about how much fun flying is so congrats!

That is awesome! :) Thanks for sharing

Now that was an interesting video, and insight.what a great entry in your sons log book.

fantastic video Scott, we share much in common. I run a large sound system & i am a DJ & i have my LAPL. i really enjoyed this Scott, keep it up

I'm as glad for you as I am jealous Mr. Manley. You deserve such goodness in these times of amazing innovation and opportunity.

That must have been one of Scott's most fun experiences.

I grew up with a Cessna 150J, we acquired in 1982. So, I was used to an airplane with tricycle landing gear also. One day, one of our friends who owned a Piper Cub, invited me to fly from California City to Mojave. I didn't land the Cub, because the Cub doesn't have flaps. But he did let me taxi. I do have to agree with the mental ability of taxing a taildragger vs a tricycle gear.

Your reenactment of the cockpit audio was great. Thanks for that.

Great fun! Several decades ago I learnt to fly gliders, (sailplanes). Unlike powered aircraft, since they have no engine, after learning 'straight & level' the next thing you are taught is stalls, getting into them & out of them. After that, once you learn proper turns, you get practice with spins. The advantage with gliders is that, as explained by the instructors, if you spin into the ground, you'll _probably_ survive albeit with broken legs etc. Do the same in a light aircraft, and to use a phrase I read in a crash investigation report, _'the cabin was reduced below survivable proportions'._ And you'll probably have a burning fuel tank if you survive that long... Pitts are quite safe, (in the right hands or as long as you fly within you limits), and definitely far more fun than regular light aircraft!

That is an absolutely gorgeous machine. Caught the matching red Caddy (or Chev?) going by near the beginning, too, what a combo!

Went up on an acrobat flight two months ago, what can I say, it's the best experience ever. That you sent your son up, bravo! If he liked it and chooses to go that route, all the best for him, flying is the best fun experience you can get.

Scott you live my dream lifetime, and you remind so much of my Physicist Friend Tristen Juergens. As a fellow physics major I understood him. He loved telescopes and inventing new batteries, and pushing the edges of human boundaries. He loved flying and I enjoyed going up with him and watched him go through the very scary instrument rating. Before he died he got a ride in a MiG 23. I miss you Tristen, I hope to see you again out there in the cosmos!

Keep us on the loop

Betty Skeleton's Pitts was not a 2 seater. I saw her fly competition in the early 70s. I learned to fly in a Clipped Wing Cub in 1970, solo. My dad my instructor was National Champion in Sportsman in 1972.