Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Two-seat high-performance aerobatic biplane

Power Plant:

One 269 kw (360 hp) Vedeneyev M-14P nine-cylinder supercharged air-cooled radial engine

Specifications:

History:

The S-12 was a development by Jim Kimball Enterprises Inc of Zellwood, Florida, USA, to make the Pitts S-2 Special series into a more powerful aircraft for unlimited aerobatics to compete against other types of aircraft in this category. In this regard the old Pitts design with a steel tube fuselage with fabric covering and wood wing was enlarged and strengthened to take the 269 kw (360 hp) Vedeneyev M-14P supercharged nine-cylinder radial engine. In this form plans were sold for construction by amateur builders, 300 sets of plans and 120 kits having been sold around the world by early 2015.

Two basic variants were available, the base Model 12 and the High Performance model, the latter being strengthened with a shorter fuselage and wingspan, and able to be fitted with the 265 kw (355 hp) Vedeneyev VOKBM M-14P or the 294 kw (394 hp) Vedeneyev P-14PF engines driving a three-blade MT constant-speed propeller. In 1993 it was offered on the market with the 224 kw (300 hp) Textron Lycoming AEIO-540 or the 246 kw (330 hp) Textron Lycoming AEIO-580 engines as an option but it is believed only a couple of examples have been completed with these engines.

The first to be completed in this region, VH-TYJ (c/n 108 – the 19th S-12 completed in the world), was completed in western New South Wales in 2004 by a local crop dusting pilot, Mr A Travers-Jones [Tony] of Trangie, NSW, being built from 2003 until registered on 8 June 2005, but suffered propeller problems and was dismantled and placed in storage at Luskintyre, NSW. In 2016 it was obtained by Paul Bennet Airshows of Cardiff, NSW and was fitted with a new MTV propeller. It then became part of the company’s fleet of aircraft for air show work.

The second, VH-JDZ (c/n 42 – the 36th of the type built), was registered in March 2001 to its owner/constructor Mr John Dall of Narellan, NSW, and was completed in late 2006 at Wedderburn, NSW. It was subsequently based at Camden, NSW for a number of years. This aircraft was advertised for sale during 2014, being sold in late 2014 and moving to Maitland, NSW. However, in 2015 it was involved in a fatal accident in the Hunter Valley and was destroyed.

A third became VH-DZN (c/n 059 – the 52nd of the type built) on 11 February 2010. Work on this aircraft commenced in August 2006 with David Scott and it was eventually completed in 2010 by Benjamin Blanch at Tully in Queensland. However, this aircraft was later destroyed in a crash on 10 January 2011 whilst performing aerobatics at Hawkins Creek, west of Ingham, QLD, crashing into a cane field, the pilot being fatally injured.

Although usually fitted with the Vedeneyev engine, other engines in the 269 kw (360 hp) to 336 kw (450 hp) range have been installed. One example in the United States has been completed with a turbine engine and another with a Pratt & Whitney R-985 radial. Some aerobatic pilots claim the Model 12 has been the best variant of the Curtiss Pitts design available. The aircraft had a tailwheel undercarriage and seated two.

Two further variants were built to meet owner’s requirements. The first of these (N112PP) was known as the 12S Python and was a single-seater built with larger ailerons, a re-designed tail, and a weight reduction of 68 kg (150 lb). It had carbon fibre and titanium materials used to reduce the weight to 647 kg (1,427 lb). The second was the Raptor AS, a monoplane variant of the Model 12, being a two-seater with a wooden wing and chrome-moly steel tube fuselage, which became available in kit form. The wing was similar in planform to that of the Sukhoi SU-26 and consideration has been given to developing a carbon fibre composite wing for this model.

A further example arrived in Australia in January 2014, being assembled and test flown at Camden in February. This aircraft, VH-SHM (c/n 320 – the 66th example of the type built), was test flown after construction in the United States as N495BS and was placed on the Australian Civil Aircraft Register on 14 February 2014, later being based at Cessnock, NSW. This aircraft had a Vedeneyev engine said to provide 325 kw (436 hp) but some reports have stated the engine provided 343 kw (460 hp).

A further variant known as the Pitts Model 12 Macho Stinker has been built at Serpentine in Western Australia, this aircraft becoming VH-WOQ (c/n 343) and being fitted with a Vedeneyev M-14P/PF engine. The aircraft was registered to its owner Rodney Edwards of Applecross, WA on 14 February 2018 and was the 75th example of the Model 12 completed and flown.

One example has been completed and flown in New Zealand. This aircraft, ZK-PTS (c/n 180 – the 51st S-12 built) was completed and registered in March 2009 to its owner John Anderson of Auckland and has been regularly flown and demonstrated at aviation events throughout New Zealand.