PAGE ONE OF TWO
I have been a Pitts fan for more than 30 years—ever since I
first saw the Red Devils aerobatic show team perform in Virginia in
1972. A year later, at an airshow in Rhode Island, I was fortunate
enough to meet the team members: Gene Soucy, Paul Poberezny and team
leader and world aerobatic champion Charlie Hillard. The show they
presented in those little red and white Pitts was mind-boggling.
THE KIT
The kit arrives in a large,
corrugated box with separate compartments containing the wings, tail
and fuselage wrapped in foam and plastic bags. The framed-up wings,
stab, elevator and fuselage required only final sanding and were
then ready for covering. The fiberglass cowl and wheel pants are
gelcoated in white.
ASSEMBLY
After trial-fitting all the
pieces together, I lightly sanded the complete airframe with
320-grit sandpaper and vacuumed and wiped down all the components. I
covered the fuselage first using UltraCote and then covered the tail
section and wings.
I fitted the lower wing to the fuselage with
front alignment dowels and mounting bolts from the manufacturer; the
fit was right on. I fitted the wing spars to the upper and lower
wing panels and inspected each wing set for the alignment. I found
that no adjustments were needed.
GEAR USED
Radio: Futaba 9CAP Super
transmitter; Futaba R149DP receiver; 4 Hitec HS6635HB digital
servos (two ailerons, one elevator, one rudder); 1 Futaba
standard servo for throttle
Engine: Desert Aircraft DA-50-R;
J’Tec custom Pitts muffler; Menz 22x8 prop
Battery: two 1500mAh NIMH for
receiver and servos; 1 1650mAh NIMH for ignition system
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PILOT DEBRIEFING
The RC Guys Pitts handles
like a true thoroughbred from takeoff to landing. Tracking was
straight and level with a great flight performance. The DA-50
provided all the power I needed and more. In fact, most of the
time, I fly at 1/2 throttle.
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