I completed nine hours of Pitts training with Budd Davisson last Saturday. One of our members will be going soon and maybe what I experienced will be helpful to him and any others going. I am a low time taildragger pilot flying under LSA rules so I didn't have any real experience in heavier aircraft. I didn't know what to expect going in and it may not matter what you expect because it is so different from the airplanes most of us fly.
Budd's course is Monday through Friday with Saturday optional. Monday is ground school and fitting pilot to airplane. The rest of the week is flying two hours a day in the morning and the progression through the steps is flexible depending on the pilot. Since I am preparing to fly a single seat Acrosport 1, I stayed in the front cockpit as it gives me the sight picture that I will see in the Acrosport. If you are going to fly a two seater, you will switch to the rear seat in the Pitts. For me, first flight was airwork in the practice area. Second flight was "Bounce and goes". That means you fly the pattern and approaches. When the wheels touch the ground the throttle goes in and you go around with no rollout. Third and fourth hours was high speed taxi. We took the airplane to about 45 mph down the runway with the tail down and practiced directional control. Fifth through ninth hours were full stop landings.
The airplane is a Pitts S2-A with a 200 hp Lycoming. Our weight with full fuel was about 1550 lbs. Wingloading works out to about 12.4 psf. The airplane has symmetrical airfoils so it does not have a high lift wing. When you shut the power off you are coming down now! Budd said the control feel is similar to a RV. I am not a RV pilot so I can't speak to that. Takeoff sequence is to line up on the centerline, bring in power, keep backpressure on the stick until you have enough speed for good directional control, then apply just a bit of forward stick pressure and let the airplane fly itself off. Keeping the airplane in a fixed attitude minimizes gyroscopic precession. Landings are likewise done in a fixed attitude. The idea is to touch down in a three point attitude but not in a full stall where the tailwheel hits first and the rodeo begins. So the flare is held in the three point attitude and then allowing the airplane to slow and settle. Slight backpressure is used as the airplane slows to maintain the three point attitude. The airplane usually bounces a bit on touchdown and of course you have to keep it straight or your conscience in the other cockpit starts repeating "rudder...rudder...rudder".
The pattern diagram is below. Climbout speed and approach speed is 90 mph. Budd flys a tight pattern. Two patterns are shown with the preferred pattern in solid lines. Avoiding other traffic will require the extended pattern at times.
Budd flys at Scottsdale airport which is the busiest GA airport in the country. There is a lot of corporate jet traffic and also training traffic. There are three flight schools on the field and one has seven C-172's that are often in the pattern. Most of the controllers work well with Budd to accommodate his pattern. Even so, we did spend a fair amount of time waiting to takeoff and often flew 360's and extended patterns. We were the entertainment for the other pilots.
Budd has 7,500 hrs. instructing in the Pitts S2-A. He has a well developed program to transition pilots to the Pitts and similar airplanes. He is very focused on getting you ready to fly a Pitts. It seems that everybody has old habits to break during the training regardless of your background. For example, I have been flying a Rans S7, which is a light draggy airplane with a generous wing area. I have a habit of relaxing back pressure on the stick when turning base and final because the airplane bleeds speed rapidly in a turn when the power is off. It took me a while overcome that habit. You do allow the nose to drop in the Pitts but much less than I am used to. Most everybody has trouble with directional control.
Final thought is that this training is just plain hard work. It is not a hard airplane to fly if you are out cruising over the countryside. Flying the pattern is very intense. I am not so young anymore, I will turn 73 in a couple weeks, and fatigue was one of my biggest problems. It will behoove you to be in the best physical condition you can be in to take this training.
Budd's course is Monday through Friday with Saturday optional. Monday is ground school and fitting pilot to airplane. The rest of the week is flying two hours a day in the morning and the progression through the steps is flexible depending on the pilot. Since I am preparing to fly a single seat Acrosport 1, I stayed in the front cockpit as it gives me the sight picture that I will see in the Acrosport. If you are going to fly a two seater, you will switch to the rear seat in the Pitts. For me, first flight was airwork in the practice area. Second flight was "Bounce and goes". That means you fly the pattern and approaches. When the wheels touch the ground the throttle goes in and you go around with no rollout. Third and fourth hours was high speed taxi. We took the airplane to about 45 mph down the runway with the tail down and practiced directional control. Fifth through ninth hours were full stop landings.
The airplane is a Pitts S2-A with a 200 hp Lycoming. Our weight with full fuel was about 1550 lbs. Wingloading works out to about 12.4 psf. The airplane has symmetrical airfoils so it does not have a high lift wing. When you shut the power off you are coming down now! Budd said the control feel is similar to a RV. I am not a RV pilot so I can't speak to that. Takeoff sequence is to line up on the centerline, bring in power, keep backpressure on the stick until you have enough speed for good directional control, then apply just a bit of forward stick pressure and let the airplane fly itself off. Keeping the airplane in a fixed attitude minimizes gyroscopic precession. Landings are likewise done in a fixed attitude. The idea is to touch down in a three point attitude but not in a full stall where the tailwheel hits first and the rodeo begins. So the flare is held in the three point attitude and then allowing the airplane to slow and settle. Slight backpressure is used as the airplane slows to maintain the three point attitude. The airplane usually bounces a bit on touchdown and of course you have to keep it straight or your conscience in the other cockpit starts repeating "rudder...rudder...rudder".
The pattern diagram is below. Climbout speed and approach speed is 90 mph. Budd flys a tight pattern. Two patterns are shown with the preferred pattern in solid lines. Avoiding other traffic will require the extended pattern at times.
Budd flys at Scottsdale airport which is the busiest GA airport in the country. There is a lot of corporate jet traffic and also training traffic. There are three flight schools on the field and one has seven C-172's that are often in the pattern. Most of the controllers work well with Budd to accommodate his pattern. Even so, we did spend a fair amount of time waiting to takeoff and often flew 360's and extended patterns. We were the entertainment for the other pilots.
Budd has 7,500 hrs. instructing in the Pitts S2-A. He has a well developed program to transition pilots to the Pitts and similar airplanes. He is very focused on getting you ready to fly a Pitts. It seems that everybody has old habits to break during the training regardless of your background. For example, I have been flying a Rans S7, which is a light draggy airplane with a generous wing area. I have a habit of relaxing back pressure on the stick when turning base and final because the airplane bleeds speed rapidly in a turn when the power is off. It took me a while overcome that habit. You do allow the nose to drop in the Pitts but much less than I am used to. Most everybody has trouble with directional control.
Final thought is that this training is just plain hard work. It is not a hard airplane to fly if you are out cruising over the countryside. Flying the pattern is very intense. I am not so young anymore, I will turn 73 in a couple weeks, and fatigue was one of my biggest problems. It will behoove you to be in the best physical condition you can be in to take this training.
