Aircraft model
AVIAT INC PITTS S-2B
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Pitts S-2B as built under the Aviat name after the company succeeded Christen Industries. It is the same 260 hp two-seat competition biplane: twenty feet of span, 2,700 fpm of climb, and roll and vertical performance that kept the Pitts competitive in unlimited aerobatics for two decades.
Buying one means accepting what it is. Forward visibility on the ground and in the flare is essentially nil and the ground-loop record is earned; there is no casual way to land a Pitts. Aerobatic use at unlimited g loads accumulates fatigue in both engine and airframe, so logbooks and over-g history matter enormously. Parts come from Aviat, a small company, and the aerobatic community supports the type well. Specialist instruction before flying one is not optional.
Compare with…
Put AVIAT INC PITTS S-2B side by side with up to two other models.
- AVIAT INC PITTS S-2B
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 | 1991 |
| Production end | 1998 |
| 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 | 550 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 376 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 1,700 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,150 lb |
| Usable fuel | 29 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 14.6 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $100,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $165,000 |
| 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 | 118 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 78 |
| Median year built | 1993.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 12.82 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 12.82 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 17 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.79 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 2 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 78 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 78 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 78 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 5.2 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 5.7 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.