Wildcat Aerobatics
The Wildcat Aerobatics team, well-known for their captivating performances, has secured a prominent position as one of the most beloved two-ship acts in the UK airshow circuit. Pilots Al Coutts and Willie Cruickshank founded the team in 2010, driven by a shared passion for aerobatics. Their display, set in the iconic Pitts Special biplane, features an impressive blend of graceful balletic manoeuvres, precise close-formation aerobatics, and high-speed opposition passes reaching staggering speeds of over 400mph. With a busy schedule, the team entertains countless spectators across the UK, the Channel Islands, and northern Europe annually, gracing both large public showcases and intimate private events. Additionally, Wildcat Aerobatics offers introductory flights, allowing enthusiasts to taste the excitement of flying in formation aerobatics firsthand.
Pitts S-2B
The Pitts S-2B is a two-seat version of the original single-seat Pitts special and is powered by a single 260 hp (194 kW) Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 engine.
The Pitts Special (company designations S-1 and S-2) is a series of light aerobatic biplanes designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts biplanes dominated world aerobatic competition in the 1960s and 1970s and, even today, remain potent competition aircraft in the lower categories
Curtis Pitts began the design of a single-seat aerobatic biplane in 1943–1944. The design has been refined continuously since the prototype first flew in September 1944; however, the current Pitts S-2 still remains quite close to the original in concept and in design.
Several of the aircraft that Curtis Pitts built had a picture of a skunk on them and were called "Stinkers". After she bought it, aerobatic performer Betty Skelton called the second aircraft that Curtis built, "Little Stinker". The prototype S-2, which was the first two-seat Pitts, was "Big Stinker", the prototype Model 11 (later called S-1-11B) was "Super Stinker", and the prototype Model 12 was the "Macho Stinker".
In 1962 Curtis Pitts set up Pitts Enterprises to sell plans of the S-1C to homebuilders.
Certified versions of the Pitts are now produced by Aviat Aircraft in Afton, Wyoming. It is available as the S-1 single-seater with an up to 200 hp (150 kW) flat-4 Lycoming engine and a 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) wingspan, or as the S-2 two-seater variant featuring a 260 hp (194 kW) flat-6 Lycoming and a 20 ft (6.1 m) wingspan. Pitts Specials have been equipped with engines of up to 450 hp (338 kW).
Plans for the single-seat Pitts S-1S are also available from Aviat Aircraft. The S-1C and derivative S-1SS plans and kits are supplied by Steen Aero Lab in Palm Bay, Florida. Many hundreds of homebuilders have successfully completed and flown the Pitts since plans became available in 1960.