The Pitts Special has been a regular attendee at airshows throughout the south west for many years, from The Royal Jordanian Falcons or Los Halcones at International Air Tattoos at RAF Fairford to Team Toyota displaying at RAF Chivenor. Some have even called the south west home including Lauren Richardson who flew from Oaksey Park, Corinee Dennis at Bodmin, Iain Smith at Cotswold- Kemble Airport and Peter Borchert at Henstridge. However, there is one man that stands out above the rest and puts the special into Pitts Special and that’s Rich Goodwin operating out of Gloucester- Staverton Airport.
The Pitts Special is an iconic aerobatic biplane that has captivated aviation enthusiasts and pilots alike for over 80 years. Originally designed by Curtis Pitts in the 1940s, this aircraft has become synonymous with aerobatic excellence and performance. Its distinctive design, characterized by a lightweight structure and powerful engine, allows for incredible maneuverability and precision in the air.
Celebrating 80 years of the Pitts Special is not just a tribute to its engineering masterpiece, but also to the countless pilots who have pushed the boundaries of flight with it. From airshows to competitions, the Pitts has left an indelible mark on the world of aerobatics, inspiring generations to take to the skies. As we reflect on its rich history, we honor its legacy as a symbol of innovation, skill, and the unyielding spirit of aviation.
Rich Goodwin has made a name for himself over the last 12 years for displaying the Pitts Special, whether it’s from flying in formation with a Strikemaster to ribbon cutting between two hot air balloons, all whilst constantly modifying his Pitts Special, registered G-EWIZ and named the Muscle Biplane, by including a more aerodynamic ram air inlet for the fuel injection, a complete new set of wings designed and constructed by Rich and his team, a smaller tail fin and larger elevators, all of which increased performance and handling of the Pitts Special making it the Muscle Biplane display that Rich has become so well known for.
The son of a Royal Air Force fast jet pilot who himself was well known for displaying the Hawker Hunter and English Electric Lightning, Rich followed his father into the RAF, flying the mighty Panavia Tornado GR.1 on IX(B) Squadron with 21 operational sorties to his name during Operation Granby (the Gulf War). He gained his civilian pilots license at Leicester Aero Club, itself well-known for a plethora of Pitts Specials. Following his air force career Rich joined a well-known package holiday airline operating Boeing 757, 767 and 787s for 22 years and started his aerobatic flying with the British Aerobatic Association in a Christen Eagle II which he imported from the USA in the hold of a Boeing 767. Rich soon progressed to the Pitts Special but rather than purchasing a factory-built model he opted for a 1982 kit-built model from Australia, which he modified at home in his garage. Since then Rich has displayed all over Europe and beyond from Ireland to the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands to Gibraltar. Closer to home G-EWIZ has displayed at most of the major south west airshows, including Weston Air Day, Dawlish Airshow, RNAS Yeovilton Air Day, RNAS Culdrose Air Day, English Riviera Airshow, Teignmouth Airshow and the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta. During COVID-19 Rich became known for drawing smiley faces in skies all over the south west, bringing a little bit of joy and happiness during some dark times,
But displaying the most heavily modified Pitts Special in the UK was not enough for Rich; in 2014 he announced a plan to display a jet powered Pitts Special following a chat with Eddie Saurenman, the engineer behind the crazy Jet Waco and Yakovlev 110. Taking another hugely modified Pitts S-2S Special fitted with a Lycoming 8.5 liter piston engine and adding a pair of ATM Lynx Jet engines. Rich hand built the wings himself in his garage by following the unique design plans from Eddie Saurenman Aero Works. The two ATM Lynx Jet turbines deliver 700lbs thrust and in combination with the 8.5 liter Lycoming, there’s a total thrust of 1,700lbs. The aircraft weighs only 1,550 lbs. Eddie comments, “We need a thrust to weight ratio of at least 1.1:1 so we can hover and accelerate upwards from stationary!”
“Europe needed something different on the air show circuit and we joked that we could just bolt 2 jet turbines to the Pitts and fly it after a weekend’s work!! “
As well as G-EWIZ and G-JPIT Rich also has G-EFIZ, a two-seat Pitts S-2B which is used as a crew ferry when either both Pitts are required at the same venue or where Rich’s busy schedule means he needs to preposition the Pitts to the show venue prior to the display. Throughout his time displaying both the Muscle Biplane and Jet Pitts Rich has had a huge passion for promoting STEM Education, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. These four fields are interconnected and emphasize innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Rich can regularly be seen at Gloucester- Staverton Airport supporting the aviation charity Fly2Help showing their Aim High scholars around his trio of Pitts Specials. Rich himself proves that you do not need to be a huge multi-billion-pound company operating out of a huge complex to achieve some outstanding things in these fields. You can be just one incredibly determined individual with a dream and a passion, engineering a self-built aircraft in your garage and create something that has taken the European airshow circuit by storm.
Pitts S-1
Pitts S-2
Pitts Model 12
Article by Matt Sudol, Kev Slade, Gary Morris and Steve Kilvington
© South West Aviation Photographers 2025