A lovely experience you had there. The Pitts Specials are aptly named and they followed on from the Stampes, like all Morgans (+4+ excluded for accuracy IMO)these craft look right and are right.
Apparently I was 3 when my late Father looped me in a Tiger for the first time, countless Clubhouse cushions apparently were placed on the seat so the straps could be fastened.
Father was an ex Spit VB,IX,& Mustang pilot Polish to boot and I think it fair to say he took on another persona (nutjob) once airborne he definately was possessed with the need for safe thrills and I couldn't get enough as an adolescent.
He was CFI at two clubs for a number of years and taught many people and I think he was more pleased then they were when they went solo or passed their PPL, it was that passing on the knowledge and fun aspect I think. As many of the wartime generation were he was a man of few words but his feelings ran deep.
He and a couple of other pilots would hire the Tiger Club owned Super Tigers with metal props and inverted fuel supplies, The Bishop, Archbishop and Deacon from memory. They tied themselves together loosely with canvas joint covering tape and would take off and perform aerobatics still tied together and if it was a good one they would land still tied together. I think H&S might take a dim view of this nowadays.
The Bishop the Yellow/Red Tiger was destroyed in front of my Fathers eyes together with it's pilot who was practising to fly the Channel inverted in 1960. He was 20" above the runway inverted when he suffered a red out and she went straight in and caught fire.
He was a close pal of my Fathers and he left behind a Wife,Son and daughter who we all knew well and they were long days that followed.
These people were larger than life with immense courage and I always feel it was a privilege to have spent my formative years among them, they were all quiet polite confident people with a willingness to teach you anything at all.
Sorry that rumbled on a bit there.
Keep it a little
