Building and Flying a Pitts S-1T Airplane

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: Pitts S-1T N68RH
Serial No. 001 – Built by Roger Hess

: Scratch-Built S-2E Fuselage, Tail Feathers, and Controls

: Custom-built S-2E Fuselage and Engine Mount. Landing Gear Was Purchased.

: Upper Wing Spar in Apartment. Time to Put Some Carpet Pads Down.

: Center Section Rib – Other Ribs Have Leading and Trailing Edge Sections

: Becky’s Aeronca Chief as Found

: S-2E Wing as Seen During Surprise Apartment Inspection.
Next Time Call Ahead and I’ll Feather Dust For You

: An Ebullient Jim Prepares for First Pitts S-2E Flight

: They’re Back – If the Pitts Had Any Forward Visibility You Could See the Smiles

: The Twin Cities Hillbillies with Hills
Afton, Wyoming

: Fuselage Being Welded in Factory Jig

: Factory Wings Ready for Cover.
I Built My Own. Again.

: S-1T Being Assembled In Apartment.

: Becky Playing in Puddles After an Airport Deluge

: Aeronca Chief a Few Years Later – Oshkosh ’85 Reserve Grand Champion Classic

: Upper Left Bowden Cable Leads to Governor

: One of the Last Assembly Checks Before Covering

: The Center of the Upper Wing Holds a Reserve Fuel Tank

: Cowling Assembly. The Overhead Wing Belongs to the Aeronca

: Wing Detail With Aileron Linkages

: Rib Stitching Begins on a Lower Wing

: Fabric Finished in Stits Polytone. Forward Section has Sheet Metal Panels.

: Bottom of Lower Right Wing. The Matte Finish is Not Yet Polished.

: Completed S-1T Upper Wing Hanging Out of the Way

: Black Spatter-Finish Epoxy Interior

: Texture Paint on All Interior Panels

: Engine Installation – Photo Taken at My Last Annual Inspection

: Pitts S-1T Finished, Inspected, and Ready to Fly

: Instrument Panel – Left

: Instrument Panel – Right

: 5-Point Christen Harness & Security 350 Parachute

: Wobble Pump and Belly Window

: First Air-to-Air Photo Flight – Not Ready for Close Formation Just Yet

: Pitts N68RH Photographed From Open Cockpit S-2E by Becky

: Returning From a Flight – August 1986

: My Pitts S-1T and Jim’s S-2E at Oshkosh

: S-1T N68RH at Oshkosh

: Hey Kid, the Line Starts Back There

: Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird in Background Over My Pitts

: Front Cowling Panels Removed for Inspection

: One of the Pretty Left-center Hoses Failed, Forcing Inverted Flight Home

: Rugged Maule Tailwheel – Heavy But Good for Beginners

: Most Panels & Fairings Were Custom-made to Fit

: I Molded Fairings in Fiberglass – Same as Factory Design

: Bare-bones Instrumentation – Day VFR Only

: Left Cylinders, Baffling, & Oil Cooler

: Left Rear Engine Compartment

: Right Inside Cockpit

: Solid Flange Crankshaft – Prevents Prop From Departing Aircraft at Inopportune TImes

: Preparing for a Workout

: Becky Trying to Reach Brake Pedals Prior to Starting

: Cowering in a Little Shade I Brought to Oshkosh ’87

: I’m No Longer Flying But Still Dragging It Out For Maintenance

: Becky and Her Reserve Grand Champion Aeronca Chief

: The Towering Statue is Becky’s Aeronca Award
The Speck on the Left is Mine