How I got here
After rebuilding two wrecked biplanes I thought it was time to become a builder. I wanted my name on the FAA registry. Like so many I grew up reading Mechanics Illustrated. I dreamt of building a plane from the ground up just like Paul Poberezny and many others. My first experience with tube, rag and wood was a banged up Starduster Too. Repairing this plane gave me the confidence to purchase a Waco YMF5 that had been on its back. With each of these projects I gained flying and building skills.
The Starduster is a delight to fly. It provided a great introduction to basic aerobatics. With 1500 hours of focussing on straight and level in my V35B Bonanza, flying had become dare I say boring. But weekend outings in the Starduster are rather austere. My wife quickly tired of carrying 1 clean pair of underwear on her lap to fly-ins. Enter the YMF5.
My wife fell in love with the YMF5 after her first flight. It is like traveling the back roads in a Packard. That is also about how I would describe the flying characteristics. After just a few hours I concluded my adrenaline needs were a little bit higher.
After considering Pitts S2, Eagle, Skybolt, Yak, T6, and others, the Pitts 12 seemed to be a good next step.
Building a Pitts 12 