Airplane buffs revere the Pitts aerobatic biplane in much the same way motorcyclists admire the Harley Davidson.
"It's a piece of Americana," says Stuart Horn, owner of Aviat Aircraft Inc., the western Wyoming company that manufactures the Pitts. "At one time, it was the epitome of aerobatic planes."That time was the 1970s and 1980s, peaking in 1980 when the plane dominated the prestigious World Aerobatic Contest held for the first time in the United States. Monoplanes built by overseas, government-subsidized corporations have since elbowed the Pitts out of the contest's top level, where 100 of the world's best pilots roll, twist, turn and maneuver their planes before judges.
Beginning Sunday, the global contest that has been called the Olympics of the air returns to the United States, in Oklahoma City. Aviat plans to be there as well, with a new Pitts design that Horn believes will propel the company to new heights.
"Foreign ones took over by the 1990s. There's no American airplane in the upper category. That's where we come in," Horn says. "We're out to regain and surpass our past glories. . . . We're competing with the equivalent of General Dynamics for the most part, which makes it more amazing."
The idea started around Christmas when Horn purchased the formerly low-key Star Valley company from Englishman Malcolm White. He learned about the sale through a blind ad, but didn't walk into the situation blind. Horn says a desire for a change and his interest in aviation - "I had my pilot's license before my driver's license" - caused him to leave his New York real estate developer job and buy Aviat.
Since then, the number of Aviat employees has jumped from 55 to 80 people, with 100 as the 12-month target. The plane manufacturer more than surpassed its $5 million in sales last year in the first three months. Aviat has taken an active role in the airplane community by restoring old planes, supporting a scholarship program for young fliers and more. And Robert Armstrong of the U.S. Aerobatic Team has agreed to fly in the 1996 world contest with the new biplane. He placed in the top three in two tune-up contests.
"This facility built a wonderful product before, but didn't connect with those buying. It was like a very passive, isolated situation. We want to be a very proactive, involved company," Horn says.
Adds company researcher and part-historian Robert Merritt: "There's a lot of people in Wyoming that don't know there's been airplanes built over in this end of the state for 65 years."
Call Air started producing crop dusters in Afton back in the 1930s until the company was bought out and moved. Seeking to fill the gap, area leaders persuaded legendary engineer Curtis Pitts and others to form Aerotech in 1971 to produce his Federal Aviation Administration-certified biplane. In 1972, the Pitts helped the U.S. Aerobatic Team win the world title for the first time. Other countries took note and Aerotech took orders.
The company, which has had several owners, averaged about 40 sales a year of its Pitts and Husky models, which cost $130,000 and $85,000 respectively. Custom-made monoplanes are even pricier, at $200,000 and up.
"Basically, these things are a rich man's toy," Merritt says. "Whether it's fast cars or horses or airplanes, you have to have pretty deep pockets to handle them."
The Husky is a multipurpose plane used by bush pilots in Alaska, anti-poaching units in Kenya and for glider towing in Germany, for example. The Pitts is the more glamorous plane.
"It's like your Taurus wagon versus a Miata," says pilot Peter Pierpont.
Under the hood of the new Pitts S-1-11B is 300 horsepower that can power the lightweight aircraft to 212 mph. With a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1-1, the plane "can do F-16 straight-up things," Pierpont says.
The planes are judged in competition similar to how Car and Driver may judge a Miata - looks, horsepower, turning ability and speed. In the case of the airplanes, it's the speed straight up. The old Pitts would climb 2,700 feet a minute. Today's monoplanes, such as the Russian Sukhoi, climb at about 3,800 feet a minute. The new Pitts has been designed to reach 4,140.
The new plane also has an old-fashioned twist, with handmade parts and a design that has changed little since Curtis Pitts came up with it in 1945.
"These airplanes are tried and true. Structurally and design-wise, they're very capable, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Horn says. "This airplane is deemed by aeronautic engine design purists as the best aerobatic airplane ever designed."