Curtis Pitts Visits Kermit @ FoF
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- OK, Gang, here’s a great video with famed aerobatic aircraft designer Curtis Pitts! This was created out the archive footage from the day we flutter-tested the Gee Bee Z, as it was Curtis that introduced me to flutter expert Leon Tolve! I built most of my first airplane in High School and remember flying down to Curtis’ airstrip in Homestead for inspiration! This was a great flashback memory for me!
Kermit Weeks
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Kermit Weeks
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When I was young in Miami I visited Curtis’ place out in the outskirts of of Homestead I will never forget that small factory that changed aerobatics forever I retired as an airline captain but his memory will be one of the highlights of my youth
What a great gentleman Curtis Pitts was. It was very good of him to acknowledge how difficult it is for people today with scant resources to get their foot on the aviation ladder. I'm approaching my mid-forties now, I've dreamed of flying all my life, read every book I could get on the subject, designed, built and flew models, and I managed to solo in gliders a bit over a decade ago but had a change in my job that reduced my wages so I had to give that up. So far, affording to learn to fly powered aircraft has eluded me. I could probably afford it now if I thought only of myself and put my family second but that's not in my nature. I still think about flying constantly, build models, read books etc, it's just so prohibitively expensive for the average man on the street. It'd be good to see the whole videos of Kermit's aerobatic sequences in the Weeks Special and the Weeks Solution, the clips were fantastic, poetry in motion.
Loved your comments Pete. I had the same dream. I was in the USAF for over 20 years but did not fly. I was in Avionics Maintenance. Interesting field, as you worked RADAR, Com m-Nav, Flight and engine instruments, position and pressure systems, and on and on., So I have a great feel for aviation. Worked USAF aircraft as a G.I. and also as a Civil Servant. Couldn't believe they paid me! I just loved going to work each day. Loved the airplanes.
I got my PPL when I was 40 years old. (now 82). Built three Experimental Amateur Built planes. Flew my last one, an EROS 1650 Minimax for over 13 years and put over 750 hours on it. Great little flying platform. If you google my old EROS, N6395T, you can see a few pics of it. I did it up as a P-40 Warhawk. General Claire Chenault was a hero of mine.
Last flew about 6 years ago. My Minimax needed work - no place to work - moved, you know the rest of the story. So, I "gave" my EROS to a friend of mine in Florida. Don't know if he still has it or not. It needed some work.
You could get a Sports Pilot License - and fly Light Sport planes. Think their gross weight is to be not over 1320lbs. (that's close). For instance, my EROS' gross was only 725lbs. The sport license is much cheaper and the training is less. For instance, don't need IFR training - only fly during the day. I used my PPL. Also, only need a driver's license - no flight medical is required.
I know the problems of "getting in the air." You could build and fly your own. Can happen. Hey, keep the faith, Bro. Loved your comments. mike d
SD-1 MicroSport is the answer. (Or weld up an S1-C, cheap paint, with a self-rebuilt 4cl engine and wood prop).
You've had some amazing interviews with amazing people. So grateful you're willing to share them with us and honoring them. Thanks Kermit
the digital changes to boot.. priceless time pieces. Well done.
This was awesome. I think the S2A was one of the most beautiful aircraft ever designed. So glad I got some time in one many years ago.
RIP Curtis.
First! I knew Curtis Pitts also. He gave me the best advice: He said if you design a plane and release it to the public, they will modify the hell out of it, even if its not necessary. He was so right!
@Horse Renoir Cause I am in the airplane business, thats how.
Thanks for producing this excellent interview with Curtis! I’ve been a fan of his since I first saw a Pitts at an acro contest in Keene, NH, around 1975. I was 16 and working on my private license, started in a J3 at age 14, move to the C150 and eventually the Big Iron, C172! But when I saw that little S1 doing snap rolls and spins and hammer-heads, I thought, That’s what I want! So I joined the EAA and IAC and followed Kermit’s contest wins through those magazines, I loved seeing the “Weeks Solution” and eventually I got to see it and meet Kermit at Fantasy of Flight, in the early 2000s.
After 4 years and 4,000 hours of flying checks at night in an AC690 for a 135 outfit in BOS I joined the NH ANG, and in 1983 they sent me to Del Rio, TX for UPT, where I met Dana Vihlen, from Homestead, FL, who was in the FL Reserves, going to F4s. He also had lots of previous flight time out of MIA and he had already built 3 Pitts Specials, won the Advanced Category NA Championship when he was 23! I loved talking to him about the Pitts and he said he knew Curtis as he also lived in Homestead. Dana gave me lots of great tips on flying acro in the T37 and T38! We would fly formation too and I nearly hit him one day when we were playing a joke on our IP, luckily Dana and I had already discussed what I was going to do so he knew what was coming and he avoided the near mid air!
Two year later (1985) I was hired by Delta and I chose MIA as my first base, so I could race sailboats on Biscayne Bay all winter. I called Dana and asked about flying a Pitts and he suggested I call Bill Thomas at Tamiami. I flew several acro lessons with Bill in his S2B, he was a great instructor and I loved flying that 2B!
I never got to fly an S1 but it’s always been on my bucket list! Marriage, 4 children, college tuition, etc all got in the way of my ownership of an S1.
Thank you so much Kermit for doing these videos and for preserving all the vintage airplanes at FoF, I’ve taken many friends through your museum, I hope you will reopen it for daily tours again as I would love to walk through aviation history one more time before I depart the pattern.
I used to own a Pitts Special S2-B in red white and blue starburst and factory smoke that I competed in during the 1990s in the UK. Always wanted to meet Curtis and Kermit. It was a very sad day when Curtis passed, we all owe him a massive thank you. I live in Canada now and no longer have my Pitts, I fly a wingsuit now but I sure miss my aerobatics.
And vegan, respect
The pitts biplane has brought so many memories to my father and I. He had a pitts special when I was born then we built an s2 together
Very good Kermit. Thanks for letting me ‘meet’ the legendary Mr. Pitts.
Thank you Curtis and thank you Kermit for the video!
Thank You Mr Weeks for sharing your relationship and friendship with Mr Curtis Pitts. I can see the importance that he has had on your life and aviation experiences.
Incredible piece of history here. Saw comment questioning the validity of the flutter testing in Kermit's recent post but think presence of Curtis Pitt's would add some credibility to the preceding ;-). Can't thank Kermit enough for recording & sharing his interview with the aviation pioneers. Best wishes all..
PS - Nice flashback flying by Kermit as well..
One memory I have of a Pitts Special was when someone took one and was just hovering over an aircraft carrier anchored off of Ft Lauderdale at the Shell Air&Sea Show. They just hung it there into the wind for what seemed like forever. I learned quite a bit about Pitts and his legendary aerobatic aircraft from this. Thanks Kermit.
I think you might be speaking of Sean tucker in his red oracle sponsored biplane.not a pitts..but it was pretty impressive how he could hang it on the prop.
@@robinarrington5498 It might have been him, but back then I believe he was flying a Pitts S-2A.
What a pioneer Curtis was. It's great to see you follow his footsteps inspiring younger people into aviation.
Kermit, thank you not only for this time with Curtis Pitts but for FoF. Have a great day and stay safe.
I'm so glad that I got to meet Curtis and spend a few minutes with him. What a treasure he was to the aerobatic community and a real gentleman, too.
That’s very cool I wish I could have met him. His airplanes have brought my father and I so many memories. I grew up flying in my dad’s s2 and I now own a special. Great airplanes
Thank you ,Kermit .
Aviation history ,past & present
I was lucky enough to fly with Jim Holland in his Pitts during the 70's at Sugarbush VT. I love that airplane.
Thanks for posting Kermit. The Pitts is/are a beautiful airplane.
"You can learn something from every airplane you look at - if you pay attention" Curtis Pitts - Quote of the day! I identify so closely with people like Curtis and Kermit, I built my first airplane when I was 16 without plans and no internet to speak of, I had to go through thousands of photocopied parts lists from the 70's and redrew the parts from measurements and parts diagrams for fabrication. I went on from that to building RV's and am now busy with my own design composite Sportster - I have been learning from airplanes from before I could read, the relationship we have with airplanes is something other folks don't understand, it has defined me - I consider it a privilege and hope I have enough time left to make my designs reality and make a difference, to leave a mark on aviation, even just a little mark, a stain even - nothing like what these legends have achieved but with the same passion and devotion.
Another Great man in aviation ! And I am pretty sure a Hero of yours Kermit. Thank you for sharing.
One of the best videos on the channel, thank you for uploading that piece of history!
good and faithful.... airsteed keeps them dreaming and looking up.
What a visionary! R.I.P. Mr. Curtis Pitts. And, to think you were friends with him, Kermit. I'm even MORE jealous of you now, if that's even possible. 😉
Curtis Pitts for sure had a great influence in the design of aerobatic biplanes. Though there have been some very good biplane designs before, none had a greater influence from the 1970‘s onwards. Though nowadays in competition aerobatics high power monoplanes are standard, Pitts‘ designs are very well used in training and airshow environments. Thanks for presenting a great designer, RIP Curtis Pitts.
What a wonderful and pleasant man he was. So humble, yet such an inspiration to others. RIP
Beautiful . What more can you say x
An absolute icon.
I just have to say Kermit it just hit me I remember now that was you flying in those competitions I watched those growing and when you showed the black weeks special I remember the announcer saying that 14 rolls vs everybody else's 10 I am now 64 my dad had a stearman I was totally into flying back then this is really something how watching this triggered thosmemory wow !!!!!!!!
Back in the early '60s I lived in S. Miami. My aviation-nut dad took me out to a grass airfield there somewhere and a guy rolls out a Pitts Special, takes off, and puts on an impromptu airshow. Then he lands and puts his plane away. Dad said it was Pitts himself.
Thank you Kermit for sharing this
Curtis Pitts was one of the greats👏....Sad to here he has passed away😇......Kermit you are a very awesome guy👍👀...Thanks so much for this video😃
Thanks Kermit. That was really cool to see. It's a treasure to see the variety of sorts of people who share the 'airplane nut' bug. :)
Some Aviators should never die. Pitts specials have the name and fame, to see Mr Pitts taking his hat off to Kermit and his modified plane is wonderful.
A reminder, Colonel Bud Anderson will be 100 Years old on 13 January 2022, the only Aviator more important to me than Kermit.
Kermit you have made my day l have a Royal 60 size RC model of the little stinker that flies like a demon. Now I know where it came from and how it became famous. I have had it for nearly 40 yrs. Fantastic interview wow.
Thank you so much , very inspirational .
You cannot beat the character of the man - Mr. Curtis Pitts, thank you for the manner in which you lived your life.
I went to his little factory in 1967 and drooled over that little biplane He was a wonderful remarkable man
My neighbor has a Pitts Special in his barn. Wings are off but its in excellent condition, he hasn't flown it in 20 years! He lost his eye sight!
Thank you so much for sharing May he enjoy the eternal airfields Looking forward to your next :) Yf..
Thank you for sharing this incredible man with us Kermit. The Pitts is one of my favorite airplanes along with 35 of my other favorite airplanes. What an incredible man!
Thanks for making that Kermit. I’ve spent most of my spare time towing gliders with Supercub’s in Ireland. I hope to visit Fantasy of Flight someday.
It’s certainly worth a visit Colin, if you get the chance go for it.
@@thedoc4758 well travel from Europe has just opened up again and I have a son to visit in Raleigh NC for thanksgiving. Maybe next year I’ll go for longer and do a road trip to Florida to pay a visit.
Thanks so much for posting this experience. One of my favorite movies is "Cloud Dancer" which features the Pitts with Curtis in it modifying an up grade for more power. This video was awe inspiring. I consider him to be one of the Greatest Generation, you were very blessed to be a part of his life.
Very kind of you to share this story with those who too love this little plane. What a plane it is. Mine was built under (Builder) Herb Andersens name. Some years ago he explained to me how he "enticed Curtis" to start operations in Afton.
Thanks a lot Kermit,
for sharing this Video.
I owned 2 Pittses, the first was a factory build S1S that i rebuild and the second one was in reality based on a Ultimate 10-200 frame, fitted with a 290hp IO-540 but named S1X.
Later on i rebuild a S2A for a friend and i liked the "Moped" Pitts also quite a lot :-))
I would have loved to meet Mr. Pitts and talk to him. He was a true genius when creating such a nice Aircraft and a Century Design.
Also, iam a big fan of you and your approach to Aviation. Iam fascinated about Fantasy of flight
(Visiting it 2 times) and your Aircraft and flying.
Thank you Mr. Weeks for preserving and memorializing one of aviation's greatest pioneers.
...can we back up time to when this video was made?...I would gladly go back to then....
What a remarkable guy.
A legend thanks for sharing the memories from your journey.
Great tribute.
"It's you, the airplane and the box, and that's all there is to the world"
What an awesome video. Really nice to see some footage of the Weeks Special and Solution.
Wow, I don't think this video could have been any better!! What a Great human being Mr. Curtis Pitts was!! God Bless Curtis!
Fantastic video! Thanks for saving memories!
Wonderful tribute.
Thanks Kermit beautiful video. Amazing history.
What a heroic bloke was Curtiss! I'm disappointed that Kermit didn't call his "This Weeks' Special" though..
Fantastic interview!
Wow 👌🏼 thanks for posting
Wow! Curtis Pitts! Thank you for this interview!
and thank you kermit
Thank you, Curtis, and thank you, Kermit.
Got to see Mary gaffney fly the pitts at airshow in homestead florida it was great the plane was painted black and yellow and still love a pits special I also went to your air museum before you moved
Thank you so much for sharing Yf.....
Fantastique.
This is wonderful aviation history.
Thank you for posting. Wonderful!
That was a good video Kermit I hope everything is working out for you I hope fantasy of flight gets done and your wishes and dreams come true when I was a little boy my dad had a biplane he's scared my mom she wouldn't get back in it again so he sold it but when I was little I I live by an airport and I hear planes come in and go out everyday now that I'm 67 every time an airplane goes over my home still brings back those dreams for me take care Kermit I wish you a very good life and I hope your dreams come true your friend and God bless🙏🛩👍
During the early 60s my friend and I used fly into that grass strip and looked to hanger were Curtiss pitts was building those beautiful aircrafts
Two titans of aviation!
In the 1980's we used to fly down from North Perry and do touch and go's at Mr. Pitts grass strip.
The trees would cancel out any crosswind, as the strip went North-South and the prevailing wind was almost always out of the East.
The strip ran North/South, and the wind was usually out of the East, so the trees canceled out any crosswind once you dropped below them.
Is the field still there? What was the identifier?
I don't think it _ever_ had an identifier.
Everyone knew that Beech 18's, Queen Air's, King Air's, Aero Commanders, Aztecs, etc. landed there, at night, back in the 1970's and 1980's...
Now I want you to think about that, very carefully...
...and see if you can work out why this strip might not have had an identifier.
;-)
@@stay_at_home_astronaut ahhh got it!
@@stay_at_home_astronaut Lots and lots of Aztecs if I remember correctly!
Great videos. Keep the Fantasy alive!
Awesome, thanks for sharing this Kermit :-)
Thank you Kermit
.. the friendly skies.
Awesome!!
This was more emotional than Sounder.
Very nice tribute....
Outstanding video Kermit.
Wonderful video !
I’ve visited Pitts town… Bahamas 😉
Superb content as always. So much to take in (is that a Demoiselle hanging there?).
Waiting for more Act 3 information and perhaps a glimpse into your Monroe Institute experience.
Right now hanging on every word from Weeks and Pitts.
Thankyou
Wow, Iam 67, grew up at the airport. This is the first time a face behind the name. With a plane as popular as his, how did he manage that? West coast boy, maybe that is why.
And Thank You Kermit too...Moses
Have you ever heard of a test pilot named Cheek Weeks? My grandpa knew him in the Navy.
I got a Cox control line model with an .020. Crashed and was destroyed on its first flight.
I did the same with a CL mono and an 020. Crash and repair constantly.and made the mistake of painting it with aluminum mail box paint. Anytime you touched it your fingers got a liberal counting of the silver paint. Must have been about 10 yo then. Moved to to flying a lot of single engine small planes since then.
"We're here today with a special guest, Mr. Curtis Pitts a famous aircraft designer. Mr. Pitts what do you think of Kermit Weeks and all he's accomplished? And his famous airplanes?... And his wonderful aircraft museum?... Thank you for joining us Mr. Pitts! It's been a pleasure talking with you about Kermit Weeks."
If he was at 240 indicated at 10k he was actually at around 280 TAS. flutter is a function of true airspeed, not indicated. Im not sure what Curtis intended in terms of TAS by red lining the airplane at 203 IAS but it seems like Kermit was way into the red. Not surprising that he ran into trouble. He was lucky not to have lost the airplane.
Fantastic interview! At 10:08, is that a Kangaroo on the tail of the S2? Whats the story behind that?
How many people build airplanes in HS shop?!
I heard a story about you both at the Ft Lauderdale Beach Airshow where Kermit was on the beach wearing a speedo and Curtis said "Something wrong with that boy"
Kermit on the top of the weeks special rudder it’ looks a flying kangaroo is it? And if so what’s the significance
What's a flutter?