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TomParsons Certificates/Ratings/Crew Stations: "Finally, I'm Ready to Buy an Airpla..." 10-04-02, 19:31z  After many months of airplane-hunting, it looks like I'm finally in the home stretch. I expect that on Sunday, 10/13, I'll be the new owner of a Pitts S-1S, N37XP. There are a few pictures here. This is a factory kit, but is certified as an Experimental Homebuilt. To me this represents the best of both worlds; the assurance that the airplane is built to a proven factory design, and the flexibility to equip and modify the airplane to suit me. According to the current owner (and a previous owner as well), the kit was assembled by Curtis Pitts and a small crew of his in his "shop-on-the-side" in Homestead, FL. It was sold to the Peru Air Force, who were trying to get a Pitts display team started. After one of its sister airplanes was totalled in an accident, the Peruvians abandoned the whole idea, and the remaining models were sold back to various buyers in the US. The airplane was refurbished, overhauled, and converted to spring-steel gear by Ray Williams. I've got everything described, photographed, inspected, approved, negotiated, repaired, etc. I just need to go look at it with my own eyes, then sign the papers and hand over the check! The airplane is based near Austin, Texas. It took a bit of hunting around, but I finally found a very skilled (and very picky!) Pitts mechanic and builder to do the pre-purchase inspection. Except for a couple of issues that have been since repaired, the inspection came out OK, and the report provided an opportunity to negotiate down a little from the asking price. I don't envy the ferry pilot his task. On the 19th-20th, he will fly this day-VFR airplane 1300 nm from Austin, TX, to Belmar, NJ. The fuel tanks are small enough that he'll be stopping every 90 minutes or so for fuel! This is gonna be cool! Tom P. Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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Subject      Author      Message Date     ID      Finally, I'm Ready to Buy an Airpla...    TomParsons       10-04-02              RE: Finally, I'm Ready to Buy an Ai...    Emile       10-05-02       1         RE: Finally, I'm Ready to Buy an Ai...    aboyd       10-08-02       2         RE: Finally, I'm Ready to Buy an Ai...    TomParsons       10-09-02       3         RE: Finally, I'm Ready to Buy an Ai...    CRodin       10-11-02       4         RE: Finally, I'm Ready to Buy an Ai...    TomParsons       11-11-02       5

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