Aviat Aircraft Pitts Special S-1S
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The factory-built Pitts S-1S is the single-seat Pitts as certificated in the acrobatic category in February 1973: a 180 hp fuel-injected Lycoming IO-360-B4A, fixed-pitch Sensenich propeller, 1,150 lb gross weight, 19 gallons and a 203 mph Vne, built by Aerotek in Afton, Wyoming. It cruises at about 120 knots and climbs at 2,600 fpm.
A certificated S-1S differs from the homebuilt ones in paperwork and consistency rather than in flying: it is on the type certificate, so maintenance needs an A&P and the annual an IA, and it is one of the few single-seat aerobatic aircraft a buyer can insure and finance like a normal aeroplane. The trade is the aeroplane itself - a 1,150 lb biplane that lands blind over the nose at a high rate of descent, with a tailwheel checkout nobody can get in type because there is no second seat, so training is done in an S-2. Expect fabric and wood-wing inspections, an engine that runs hot in the climb and a 15 lb baggage allowance. Listings for this exact certificated mark were too few to make a band.
Variants of the Pitts S-1 Special (single-seat)
- Pitts S-1 single-seat (S-1S / S-1C / S-1T / S-1D / S-1E) · 1962 · 107 active
- Pitts Special S-1S · 1973 · 30 active · this page
- Pitts S-1T · 1975 · 14 active
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 8.4 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)
Among 1–2 seat pistons (319 models)
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One email a day if anything changes: new ADs and NTSB records.
What it is
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming IO-360-B4A |
| Horsepower | 180 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1973 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 120 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 350 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | 2,600 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 50 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 1 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 430 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,150 lb |
| Empty weight | 720 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
Estimated cost to own
An estimate, not a quote. Change the inputs to match how you would fly it. Defaults are for a single-engine piston, 1–2 seats.
| Maintenance reserve | hourly | $1,500/yr | |
| Insurance | fixed | $1,400/yr | |
| Annual inspection | fixed | $1,500/yr | |
| Hangar | fixed | $6,000/yr | |
| Rental rate, wet | for comparison |
No fuel burn is on record for this model, so fuel is not included.
No TBO or overhaul cost is on record for this model, so the engine reserve is not included.
How these estimates are built. Fuel = this model's typical burn x the national average price from AirNav's Fuel Price Report (100LL $7.41, Jet A $7.66 per gallon, 5 Oct 2026; your airport may differ by $2 or more). Engine reserve = typical overhaul cost / TBO for this engine. The remaining lines are class-level defaults, not quotes for this aircraft: annual inspection is the base inspection fee (findings are counted in the per-hour maintenance line); insurance assumes an instrument-rated owner with time in type and a $1M liability limit - less experienced pilots commonly pay 1.5-2x; hangar and tie-down are national mid-tier figures, with rural and metro options; the rental rate is a 2026 flight-school rate for a comparable aircraft, including fuel. Twin and turboprop maintenance defaults are estimates, not published figures. Sources: AirNav, BWI Aviation Insurance (2019-2026), Flying (May 2026), Savvy Aviation, American Flight Schools, published airport rate sheets. Every default is editable - change any number to match your situation. Depreciation, taxes, financing and major upgrades are not included. Depreciation is not included. An estimate, not a quote.
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | — |
|---|---|
| Price, high | — |
| Prices as of | — |
| Engine TBO | — |
| Overhaul cost, low | — |
| Overhaul cost, high | — |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 57 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 30 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 66.67 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 33.33 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 4 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 13.33 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 5 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 30 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 30 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 30 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 1.3 of 103 |
| Support | 3.6 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.5 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 8.4 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)6 |
These record scores treat Aviat Aircraft Pitts Special S-1S as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 1 aircraft registered under ALLEN-MICHAEL; includes 1 aircraft registered under BOLSTER; includes 1 aircraft registered under BRADY-JANA; includes 1 aircraft registered under COLE; includes 1 aircraft registered under COX JOSEPH H JR; includes 1 aircraft registered under CSOLKOVITS; includes 1 aircraft registered under CUNNINGHAM KEVIN M; includes 1 aircraft registered under DAVIS A L; includes 1 aircraft registered under DEARING; includes 1 aircraft registered under FLECKENSTEIN DAVID . Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 319 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.33.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 79.
- Liquidity: class median 19.91.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories. When accident record and severity cannot be scored because the model has too few records, the other three give a partial score out of 30, labelled as such; it is never set against a full score.
Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · ADs Oct 6 · scores Sep 30