Pitts Special (oz15757)

About this Plan

Pitts Special. Radio control sport-scale biplane model. Wingspan 48 in, wing area 700 sq in. For .40 to .60 engine.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Quote: "Hi Steve and Mary, I have another contribution here, this time the plans for the Pitts Special as kitted by Midwest. You already published the Jerry Nelson Pitts S-1S (oz5125) plans and these Midwest Pitts Special plans apparently originated from his hands as well. The plans contain numerous building tips and are a wealth of information. I also add some photographs from the kit in my collection and from a finished one built by my uncle Jacques Lebeau in the seventies [main pic]. Best regards, Philip Avonds"

Update 7/11/2025: Added kit review from MAN, October 1975, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Field and Bench: Midwest Products Pitts Special.

When Midwest Products announced plans to kit the S-1S Pitts Special, the thought of building the model made my mouth water. Having had the pleasure of riding in Carl Craft's two-place S-2A and do-ing some basic aerobatics made me want the model even more. At about the time Midwest announced its plans for the Pitts, Carl sold his S-2A and bought a production S-1S. After seeing and photographing his new machine, I had to have the model.

A call to the Midwest factory in Hobart, Indiana, resulted in finding out that the airplane was scheduled for production within the week. I then wrote to Walt Schroder requesting to do the Field & Bench hoping something would happen. Two days later I received a call from Walt saying the kit was in the mail - too good to be true!

When the kit arrived, a thorough examination revealed an excellent packaging job by Midwest. The kit looked complicated at first because of the vast number of parts. Midwest must sense this though, as each assembly is packaged in plastic bags and clearly marked.

The plans come in two sheets depicting the fuselage and tail assembly on one page and both wings on the other. A close study of the plans, before beginning, left me with some questions which I hoped would be answered once the building process was underway. Since a Field & Bench is not a construction article. I will only attempt to carry you through the hairy spots that I encountered, which should make your building task much easier, if you decide to build the kit.

WINGS: With two wings to build, start the top wing first. Tabs on the ribs insure true alignment and act as a building jig with the spars holding everything in place. A couple of things to correct before going further - trim the center section ribs (on the top wing only) down 1/16 in to accept the center section sheeting. Make sure the rear spar notches are deep enough to properly recess the rear spar. The covering is not supposed to touch this spar, and it will if not properly recessed. Bevel the leading edge stock to a greater angle to properly follow the contour of the ribs. If this is not done, the sheeting will be sanded through when shaping the leading edge. Due to this I must have the only model Pitts in the world with Epoxylite leading edges.

Now study the center section part of the plan showing the attachment of the wing to the cabane struts. Note two hardwood blocks cradled between the spars with brass tubing inserted. This method works well however one addition is needed. Add a hardwood block between the leading edge stock and front spar. Make this block so that the front cabane can fit in place like a male female fitting. This keeps the wing from moving fore and aft once in place. If you don't do this, trimming in flight will be a problem. I found this out on the first flight, so I had to open up the bottom front of the wing and install my filler block. Once done, it solved the problem.

Another problem needing correction is the method of holding the upper wing pin in place. The plans show a wood screw holding the 1/16 wire in position. Again, personal experience dictates a better way. While doing a high-speed, low pass, the top wing separated from the cabane struts..."

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