America in the 1940's; airshow audiences were thrilled and entertained by aerobatic routines flown in aircraft such as the Great Lakes, the Jungmeister, Waco, Curtiss and Boeing. Curtis Pitts, so the history goes, wanted to operate a small, cheaper aircraft and in 1942 began the development of what soon became known as the Pitts Special. In direct contrast the little biplane weighed in at around 500 lbs and first flew in 1945, powered by a 55hp Lycoming engine, however this was soon to be replaced by an engine of 90hp.

The Pitts has become synonymous with modern aerobatics; strength and reliability have made it the choice of many military and civil display teams - Toyota, The Royal Jordanian Falcons and The Rothmans Team to name just a few. How do the modern airframes differ from the prototype? The early Pitts had ailerons on the lower wings only and the wings were built around an asymmetrical lifting section; up front inverted fuel and oil systems were in their infancy. As plans became available, the following thirty years would see the original design undergo considerable evolution but remain recognisably the same: a welded steel tube fuselage with wooden stringers and turtledeck and wooden wings, all being covered in fabric. This method of construction was by no means new and can be traced through the work of Fokker's chief designer, Rheinholdt Platz, and his DVII of 1918.

The Pitts S2S first flew in December 1977 and was certified in June 1981; there are around thirty world wide, of which two currently reside in the UK. It is a single seat unlimited aerobatic aeroplane of two seat proportions.

Following sucess at World Championship level in the 1970's, it was generally felt that the diminutive S1 was beginning to loose out because of it's size. A new generation of monplane designs were able to make a greater impression on the judges and achieve higher scores. In order to produce a larger generic aircraft with the same outstanding performance, it would be neccessary to retain a power loading of around 5.5lb per hp. Improving on the 200hp of the S2A, made famous amongst others by the Rothmans team, the S2S is powered by a 260hp fuel injected Lycoming engine. In order to achieve the same weight distribution it is also some 14 inches shorter than the two seater. The S2S has symmetrical wings and four symmetrical ailerons, with spades on the lower set to help reduce stick force in roll well below that in pitch. That said, the S2S is one of the nicest factory aeroplanes to fly and it is ideal for airshows. The six cylinder engine has more of a growl than it's predecessors, adding to it's appeal and enables the S2S to draw longer vertical lines that it's smaller brothers and sisters.

One of only two examples of the S-2S in the UK, this aircraft was built by Hilton Selvey in Darwin, Australia from a factory kit in 1981 and was registered VH-EHQ serial number S18. The aircraft was shipped to Frankfurt in 1982 to take part in the World Aerobatic Championships held in Austria that year. The aircraft was flown by Geoff Selvey, Hilton's son, who came 29th out of a field of 65 competitors. Oddly enough, the idea was to sell the aeroplane after the competition as the team had done in 1980.

With less than 100 hours total time since new, the aeroplane was imported to the UK by Geoff Masterton, re-registered G-EWIZ and issued with a CAA permit to fly in November 1982. The original yellow and black colour scheme was replaced by bottle green following sponsorship from the off-licence chain Bottoms Up. It was displayed in this livery by the late John Davies before being privately owned and flown very little from it's base at Bournemouth.

Advertised for sale in mid 1996 and having flown only 337 hours since new, G-EWIZ was bought by Steve Carver and David Howdle. The aircraft looked rather tatty but, under the guidance of Rob Millinship, was soon shown to be an excellent purchase. The aircraft was based at Netherthorpe airfield and flown until the winter of 1996/1997 during which time it was it was placed on the PFA register. With Rob's help over a six-month period, G-EWIZ was recovered and considerably improved, re-emerging in a bright red and white scheme. The addition of some red/white chequerboard to the rudder and under the outer wing panels helped to provide a finishing touch. A smoke system was added two years later and the aircraft has been flown successfully by Steve Carver at displays and Intermediate level competitions during the 2000 season. Steve is now the sole owner.

G-EWIZ will be flown at Advanced level competitions during 2003 and has become familiar again to airshow enthusiasts throughout the UK. If you would like to book Steve and G-EWIZ for an aerobatic display or sponsor the aircraft for the 2003/4 seasons then e-mail Steve at gewiz@stevecarver.f9.co.uk.