Kimball Pitts Model 12
These figures describe a typical build. Each aircraft of this design was built by its owner, and the one you are looking at may differ.
The Pitts Model 12 is Curtis Pitts's last design, a two-seat aerobatic biplane of 1996 built around the 360-400 hp Vedeneyev M14P nine-cylinder radial: 23 ft span, 1,550 lb empty and 2,250 lb gross, with published figures of 150 knots cruise, a 56-knot stall and 2,900 fpm; plans and kits come from Kimball Enterprises in Florida.
The Model 12 is the biplane for someone who wants a radial engine and unlimited-class power in a two-seater, and the radial is the ownership story: the M14P is Russian, runs on 100LL with a lot of oil, needs a pilot who understands its pneumatic start and hydraulic lock, and has a parts and overhaul chain outside the American mainstream. It is big for a Pitts, lands blind over the nose like all of them and demands tailwheel currency, and with 360 hp it is high-performance for endorsement purposes and expensive to insure for a pilot without biplane time. Kit- or plans-built, so welding, wood, rigging and fabric are the inspection and the builder's log the history. The owner may maintain it and the condition inspection needs an A&P or the repairman certificate; Kimball supports the type.
Variants of the Pitts Model 12
- Pitts Model 12 · 1996 · 48 active · this page
Also consider
TAILFAX SCORE
Partial: 7.6 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)
Among 1–2 seat pistons (321 models)
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Put Kimball Pitts Model 12 side by side with up to three other models.
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What it is
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tailwheel |
| Engines | — |
| Engine | Vedeneyev M14P / M14PF radial (360-400 hp) |
| Horsepower | 360 hp |
| Fuel | — |
| Certification basis | amateur-built |
| Production start | 1996 |
| Production end | — |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 150 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 430 nm |
| Service ceiling | — |
| Climb rate | 2,900 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 56 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | — |
| Landing over 50 ft | — |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 2 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 700 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | — |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,250 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,550 lb |
| Usable fuel | — |
| Fuel burn at cruise | — |
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 | 60 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 48 |
| Median year built | 2010 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 83.33 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 83.33 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 5 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 10.42 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 0 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 48 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 48 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 48 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 1-2 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 3.2 of 103 |
| Support | 3.4 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 1 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | Partial: 7.6 out of 30 (safety not scored, too few records)6 |
- Accident record: class median 36.69 · 321 models in class.
- Severity: class median 13.04.
- Access: class median 1,000.
- Support: class median 77.5.
- Liquidity: class median 20.
- 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