Aircraft model
AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC S-2C
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Pitts S-2C is the current version, introduced in 1998 with redesigned wings, longer ailerons and a revised vertical tail. The changes improve the roll rate and, more importantly, make the aeroplane noticeably better behaved at low speed and in the landing attitude than the S-2B — the one thing every Pitts pilot complains about.
It is still a Pitts: forward visibility in the flare is minimal, the gear is narrow, and it demands precise landings. But the aerodynamic changes are a genuine improvement rather than a marketing point and the S-2C is the one to buy if the budget stretches. Aerobatic use accumulates fatigue in engine and airframe, so logbooks matter. Aviat continues to build and support it, which is unusual for an aerobatic type.
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Put AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC S-2C side by side with up to two other models.
- AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC S-2C
What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | taildragger |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Lycoming AEIO-540-D4A5 |
| Horsepower | 260 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 1998 |
| Production end | current |
| Endorsements required | high-performance;tailwheel |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 152 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 280 nm |
| Service ceiling | 23,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 2,700 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 57 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 520 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 346 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,700 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,180 lb |
| Usable fuel | 29 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 14.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $150,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $226,700 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 2,000 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $46,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $66,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 84 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 57 |
| Median year built | 2001.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 35.09 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 17.54 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 12 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.05 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 6 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 57 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 57 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 57 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 0.2 of 103 |
| Support | 5.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.2 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 25 · 181 models in class.
- Severity: class median 5.
- Access: class median 987.
- Support: class median 72.
- Liquidity: class median 20.59.
- 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.