Cool video of my 18-year old student flying my Pitts Special

[JungleJett]

They say when you're out of "Pitt's" you're out of airshow.

Have you seen either do a routine? It is INCREDIBLE what someone good can do with the airplane like Sergei Boriak. The Pitts is a fine aircraft no doubt but the Sukhoi is a monster and built like a tank! Yak has not built a aerobatic airplane in years but they still do well.

Have your son fly a Suk and find out what his feelings are..plus you cannot beat the sound of a Russian radial!

Keep up the good work with your son...hope to see him out on the road.

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

Have you seen either do a routine? It is INCREDIBLE what someone good can do with the airplane like Sergei Boriak. The Pitts is a fine aircraft no doubt but the Sukhoi is a monster and built like a tank! Yak has not built a aerobatic airplane in years but they still do well.

Have your son fly a Suk and find out what his feelings are..plus you cannot beat the sound of a Russian radial!

Keep up the good work with your son...hope to see him out on the road.

No doubt that Sergei Boriak is a great competitor and the Sukhoi is an incredible airplane, but it certainly seems that as far as commercial airshows are concerned, Sean D. Tucker and Jim "Bulldog" Leroy are the world's most popular performers, both putting on the best public airshows. And of course Bulldog and Sean Tucker fly variations of a Pitts Special. Of course, both of their airplanes have been taken into an experimental category with larger engines and other modifications.

Thanks for your comments about my son, he retired from airshows about a year after receiving his FAA-Level I card. Plus he got married and needed more stable work than performing at airshows. As I'm sure you know, it is very difficult (and dangerous) trying to make a long term living in the Airshow business.

 

[JungleJett]

No doubt that Sergei Boriak is a great competitor and the Sukhoi is an incredible airplane, but it certainly seems that as far as commercial airshows are concerned, Sean D. Tucker and Jim "Bulldog" Leroy are the world's most popular performers, both putting on the best public airshows. And of course Bulldog and Sean Tucker fly variations of a Pitts Special. Of course, both of their airplanes have been taken into an experimental category with larger engines and other modifications.

Thanks for your comments about my son, he retired from airshows about a year after receiving his FAA-Level I card. Plus he got married and needed more stable work than performing at airshows. As I'm sure you know, it is very difficult (and dangerous) trying to make a long term living in the Airshow business.

There is a lack of Suk's on the circuit and I think if there were, well......(I am partial to Russian airplanes.)

Tucker puts on one hell of a show but there is as much Pitts in that airplane as my -50! That thing is so heavily modified that you really cannot call it a Pitts anymore. Still an impressive show.

I am happy to hear your son has called it quits. I have seen more than one person make a small error that cost them there life..and they did so close to the ground. Personally, I do not like low level aerobatics. Although my airplane is capable of semi-unlimited, I keep it mellow. I have a daughter I would like to see grow up.

Now the real ride is The STS! Sign me up for that any day of the week!!

 

[Annie]

JungleJett:

I do not intend to challenge you on your knowledge of aerobatics, but may I suggest that the most terrifying ride is yet to come--watching your daughter grow up!!

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

JungleJett: Since you are an experienced and knowledgeable pilot as well as an aerobatic pilot, I would like it if you would comment on the following question.

Of all the entire general population in America, what percentage, given all the money necessary, do you think could obtain their:

Private Pilot Certificate
Instrument Rating
Commercial Pilot Certificate
ATP
ATP with a jet type rating
Fly IAC Sportsman Category
Fly IAC Advanced Category
Fly IAC Unlimited Category

I ask this because some Members of this FI board seem to think that flying acro in a Pitts is just a matter of money. I totally disagree with that opinion. In my opinion flying a jet is nothing compared to flying IAC Unlimited category or flying a high energy airshow in a Pitts or an Extra with an Unrestricted Level I FAA airshow waiver.

Comments from others with aerobatic experience on this question are welcome and would be most appreciated too...

 

[JungleJett]

JungleJett:

I do not intend to challenge you on your knowledge of aerobatics, but may I suggest that the most terrifying ride is yet to come--watching your daughter grow up!!

Annie, I need a G-suit, helmet, puke bag, some serious coaching and tons of airspace for that! I tell you what, she has turned my world upside down and the view is AWESOME!!

 

[Sonny Crockett]

JungleJett: Since you are an experienced and knowledgeable pilot as well as an aerobatic pilot, I would like it if you would comment on the following question.

Of all the entire general population in America, what percentage, given all the money necessary, do you think could obtain their:

Private Pilot Certificate
Instrument Rating
Commercial Pilot Certificate
ATP
ATP with a jet type rating
Fly IAC Sportsman Category
Fly IAC Advanced Category
Fly IAC Unlimited Category

I ask this because some Members of this FI board seem to think that flying acro in a Pitts is just a matter of money. I totally disagree with that opinion. In my opinion flying a jet is nothing compared to flying IAC Unlimited category or flying a high energy airshow in a Pitts or an Extra with an Unrestricted Level I FAA airshow waiver.

Comments from others with aerobatic experience on this question are welcome and would be most appreciated too...

Ok..I'll bite.

Its not all about money. But Contract Y2K at UAL allowed me to sell my Pitts S-2B and buy an Extra 300S brand new from Germany.

I would get off of a trip and fly to some remote location, sit in the hot sun all day long and fly 4-5 15 acro routines while either Phil Knight, Clint Mchenry, or some Russian guy told me how much more I needed to kick, push, beat....etc my body and airplane to the limits. Once the furloughs hit I had to sell the Extra, but I can tell you a Level one card, or getting the Smooth Unlimted patch was much harder than an ATP checkride, its all about how much one wants it....YES it takes $$$$$$ but it also takes skill. There are a lot of Extra 300L owners and Sukoi owners that never pull more than 2 G's becuase they do not have the drive.

Flying competition was fun, but it took way too much of my time, and a lot of my money!!! I enjoy flying some airshows at smaller events and flying for my friends, many had no idea at the skill level involved.

So yes it takes money. But it also takes a heck of a lot of determination and HARD A$$ kicking work.

And the hard part for me. Making the Advanced Team and having to ship your airplane to the UK, taking 1-2 months off of work, and spending a lot of money on AVGAS just to when a trophy, and maybe some hint of interest from your girlfriend who is ticked off that EVERY weekend you are off flying Acro somewhere....it was hard to balance!

But PLEASE Capt'n Al STOP bragging about all the HNL/KOA/LIH layovers (I have to sit next to you pulling gear) and remember one day your son may be my co-pilot (I am 35) and I am sure you will not want me to tell him about all the rant about changing the age to 65!

Aerobatic Pilot, Airline Pilot, Widebody gear operator......who really cares?

 

[JungleJett]

JungleJett: Since you are an experienced and knowledgeable pilot as well as an aerobatic pilot, I would like it if you would comment on the following question.

Of all the entire general population in America, what percentage, given all the money necessary, do you think could obtain their:

Private Pilot Certificate
Instrument Rating
Commercial Pilot Certificate
ATP
ATP with a jet type rating
Fly IAC Sportsman Category
Fly IAC Advanced Category
Fly IAC Unlimited Category

I ask this because some Members of this FI board seem to think that flying acro in a Pitts is just a matter of money. I totally disagree with that opinion. In my opinion flying a jet is nothing compared to flying IAC Unlimited category or flying a high energy airshow in a Pitts or an Extra with an Unrestricted Level I FAA airshow waiver.

Comments from others with aerobatic experience on this question are welcome and would be most appreciated too...

Thats a tough question that I am not sure I can answer properly. A good aerobatic pilot has a multitude of the things going for them; good airmanship, good attitude, excellent situational awareness (!!!!), confidence, and a good set of hands. These cannot be bought with any amount of money. NOW, having the financial resources to get proper training in the proper airplane certainly helps but it does not "buy" what will ultimately keep you from bending metal. That comes from within.

I come from an airline background as well and I will tell you the biggest issue I had/have with aerobatics is confidence. Confidence that the airplane will stay together and that it is ok to go past 30 degrees of bank or 15 degrees of pitch either way. In the airline biz, we think we operate in three dimensions and we may, but on very limited basis. We operate in an environment that keeps the people in the back comfy and the airplane within structural limits. Many get stuck there and will not venture outside of that neat little box. Good for them. If I had the choice to have just a run of the mill FO or an FO that likes to fly aerobatics, I will take the acro FO any day of the week. He will, nine times out of ten be a better pilot. He knows how to fly the airplane instead of the airplane flying him. He may use those skills to keep us alive. I have become a better pilot since I started flying acro.

As for percentages, honestly, if you took a student from the get go and taught them acro, they would do better than a seasoned airline pilot learning acro for the first time. I think the percentages start low, go up and then start back down as someone gains experience. Most guys that I know have been flying acro from the very beginning and they are good. Me, it is still new to me and I am having a tougher time at it and I have thousands of hours in an airplane.

Money helps but there is no amount of money in the world that can replace the things I mentioned. Anyway, flying is about having money. I always ask people what makes an airplane fly..they usually say excessive power and lift...yep..but money really makes airplanes fly.

Flying acro in a Pitts is not terribly hard, flying at the level of your son....is very challenging and takes discipline that simply cannot be bought. For those that think it is simply about money do not have a clue on what goes into a good aerobatic routine. It is a lot easier to snipe from a position of ignorance than it is to get down in the trenches and feel what it is like.

I am fortunate to have a good job with decent pay and a wife that also has a good job. We both work hard and enjoy the fruits of our labor. I will not apologize for what I have and what I can do. I have had the same opportunities as everyone else. If your tooling through life with the autopilot on, then I feel sorry for you. You will never get to where you want to go. Or if you do, you will not be sure how you got there. Me, I look at the world from many angles and sometimes...upside down!

 

[UndauntedFlyer]

For those that think it is simply about money do not have a clue on what goes into a good aerobatic routine. It is a lot easier to snipe from a position of ignorance than it is to get down in the trenches and feel what it is like.

JungleJett: Thanks for your reply. I think you hit the nail right on the head with your comments.

UndauntedFlyer

 

[JungleJett]

JungleJett: Thanks for your reply. I think you hit the nail right on the head with your comments.

UndauntedFlyer

Thanks...

So whats the deal with the Shuttle...