Pitts S-1S, C-GIPS Special

http://www.lepore.ca/gips/GIPS2008s.jpg

Summer 2008 - Advanced World Aerobatic Championships,  Pendleton Oregon .  Career peak, 11th overall and 7th in the Unknown.

Inside view of a typical competition sequence



Here is an outside view, from an airshow at Powell River, July 2014


Pitts performance detail.  With thanks to Bret Davenport, he ran his numbers for his modified S-1, but should be a close correlation to anyone flying a modified Pitts.  He’s also got the stock S-1 numbers there.

 2020 Advanced Known Program

Competition

 

 
2008

OK, so I'm back in Advanced after 22 years in Unlimited.  My 180 hp S-1 was begging me..."no more, master"

 Advanced Free Program

 

Beaver State Regional Contest - Pendleton OR

1st Place Advanced

RESULTS

Apple Turnover - Ephrata WA

1st Place Advanced

RESULTS

Advanced World Aerobatic Contest - Pendleton

11th Place Advanced

RESULTS

2009

 

 

Skunked out - weather, cancelled contests, work, family

 

 

2010

 

 

Apple Cup - Ephrata WA

Ugly weather going down, found a new (to me) jigsaw route low level through the Cascades.  Riding a rosy forecast I returned on top at 9000'.  

1st Place Advanced

RESULTS

2011

 

 

North American Team Championships
Ephrata Washington

No use crying about it, I should have read the new rule book and figured out that 3x4 means a point roll. That zero in the unknown cost me 1st.  The winner did nail an 88% Free though, which deserves a win.

2nd Place Advanced

RESULTS
2012
Bad year, my mind wasn't on it.

2013
Tried to get across the Cascades but the weather skunked me out

2014

Spilled the milk on the Known program - zeroed a figure, bumbled a roller and took an interruption.  Dead last.  Then did the Greek thing and came from behind, 2nd in the Free and won the Unknown.  I'm in the hunt!
Even ate a 50 point penalty for an illegal wingwag in the Unknown - where has the love gone?

some pic's		 2nd Place Advanced RESULTS
battling the heavy iron
Doing battle with the heavy iron
sotrmy weather, 30 knot winds
Weather had some bumps and 30 knot winds for my Free and Unknown
old man, old plane - 33rd year flying it
Getting old together.  My 33rd year on the same horse.
2017

Apple Cup, Ephrata WA
2nd in the Known, won the Free handily, was almost slapping myself on the back until I realized I had finished the Unknown flying in the wrong direction.
4th Place Advanced RESULTS
Corvalis Corkscrew, Corvalis OR
Shook off the Ephrata blues, made no mistakes and won all three flights.  Back in the saddle
 1st Place Advanced RESULTS
2018

Apple Cup, Ephrata WA
Found out after the Known that I'd been practising it wrong since November, plus I got confused and zeroed the second last figure.  Dang.  Composed myself and knocked the Free and Unknown out of the park.
 1st Place Advanced RESULTS
2019

Apple Cup, Ephrata WA
Had to pull it off to make it a full Canadian sweep of all categories at an American contest: Stu Ostlund took Sportsman, Mark Cunningham Intermediate, me- Advanced, and Dave Barbet Unlimited.
 1st Place Advanced
RESULTS
2024

Birds of a feather, tangling with the new Raven 2XS

ramp4
Took a run down to Port Angeles for an aerobatic box practise day.  The Pitts still rocks.

pa1
pa2
pa3
Flying over water - wear a lifejacket


Keep up with the rest of the biplane world by visiting the "Biplane Forum".

History of C-GIPS 1981 to 2006

The main gas tank is 20 gallons, plus a 2 gallon header tank.  Here's a picture of how the fuel system is plumbed.  The venting has moved to just aft of the left gear leg - picture on the mod history below.

 

Link to a  picture history of modifications  lots of photos, so large...

2006 - Odyssey battery, MicroAir transponder

2007 - engine work. Everything new except the sump.  New O-360-A1A wide deck case, new heavy solid Superior crankshaft, Pistons LW-15357 9:1 compression. 188hp.

2008 - Wolf landing gear, re-pitched prop to 76-62

2009 - Overhaul torque tube (stick)

2009 - replace fabric on wings, big project, so it deserves its own page

2009 - Install Cabane Fairing

2010 - Replace old Bendix mags with new Unison (Slick)

2011 - Installed MicroAir 760 radio

2013 - rerig and rerig again

2015 - New GT-50 Clock/G-meter/Voltmeter, new Odyssey 680 battery

2016 - TransCal Altitude Encoder, Digital Altimeter

2023 - replaced cowling with Wolf, installed start solenoid, replaced tach with GT-30 from FDA systems.

2024 - replaced battery with EarthX900, Microair 760 comm radio "BER", so looking for a replacement. Haigh tailwheel worn, rewelded and tightened up.


 



Updated Sept 13. 2024