December 2004 Article by Mike Whaley We have created a throttle quadrant using (mostly) flat aluminum parts cut on the waterjet. Both cockpits will have throttle and prop controls. This assembly is a lightweight and clean design.

December 2004 Article by Mike Whaley The wings are progressing. During the hurricane period when there was a very limited amount of work that could be done, we did what we could... John made some durable female molds of the wingtips. We will be offering lightweight and durable fiberglass wingtips (all wingtips will be identical [...]

December 2004 Article by Mike Whaley Here are some more details about the adjustable seats.

May 2003 Article by Mike Whaley We often get inquiries from potential builders along the lines of "Hi, I'm 6 foot 8... can I fit in a Skybolt?" or occasionally we also get "I'm really short, do I need to modify the plane in any way?" As we looked at the seat setup, we made [...]

4th week of June 2004 Article by Mike Whaley The last part of June got busy as we got to the point that we had to get the airframe cleaned up and ready to roll to Oshkosh. Barrett added some additional reinforcements to the inside of the side panels, using special adhesives to bond the [...]

June 2004 Article by Mike Whaley In the first part of June, we evaluated several options for the turtledeck and ultimately decided on an all aluminum structure which is held together with a combination of rivets and epoxy adhesives. Despite the size of the assembly (it's a very tall turtledeck compared to many biplanes) it [...]

May 2004 Article by Mike Whaley We are now moving into the "details" stage of development. The "big stuff" is mostly done - the basic structure of the wings and fuselage and hanging the engine on the mount. Now we are focusing on the myriad of detailed parts - instrument panels, linkages, adjustable seats, etc. [...]

April 2004 Article by Mike Whaley April was dominated by Sun N Fun in Lakeland. The Model 14 was there, and recieved a great deal of attention. Curtis spent time with us, as did Caro Bayley and other aerobatic notables. Check out the SNF 2004 Event Report for the full story (and lot of photos).

March 2004 Article by Mike Whaley Curtis paid us a visit at the beginning of March. Work continued on the side panels, mostly, finishing touches. The inner panels which protect the wing root area and provide for a more aesthetically-pleasing appearance in the cockpit area came out well. We continued to make a lot of [...]

February 2004 Article by Mike Whaley February saw us continuing with the construction of the fuselage skin panels and the creation of fiberglass wing-root fairings. These were built by attaching the lower wings and making a very rough sub-frame to support the fillet using blue foam and scrap plywood. The wooden sheeting in the wing [...]

January 2004 Article by Mike Whaley We are happy with the fuselage skin design. It has been a lot of work to get it right, but the benefit to our builders will be great. The side panels are aluminum and are piano-hinged along the top longeron and are secured along the sides and bottom with [...]

December 2003 Article by Mike Whaley To assist with creating the side formers and the side panels, the lower wings and tail were attached to the fuselage while posterboard templates for the side panels were attached to work out the panels and how they would overlap and intersect adjoining structure. Suspending an old Yak cowl [...]

November 2003 Article by Mike Whaley The lower wings were worked on during early November, with a lot of progress being made. The tip bows were installed, as was a lot of secondary structure, gussets, sheeting, wingtip foam, etc. Minor revisions have been made to many parts to improve the final product. On November 7th, [...]

October 2003 Article by Mike Whaley Completed the lower wing spars and began to assemble the lower wings. Lots of progress made, including minor rework as the assembly revealed hidden issues. Most of these issues were optimizations for ease of construction and to provide required clearances for hardware and fittings. The CAD plans have been [...]

September 2003 Article by Mike Whaley Taking long strides on the lower wing construction. Built jigs for the wingtip bows, and produced the first set of bows. Well along with rib construction. During the process, revised plans in CAD as small issues were discovered (mostly interference tweaks, nothing major.)

August 2003 Article by Mike Whaley Curtis visited us after Oshkosh to continue working through the details of the design. He was tickled to see the progress and the fuselage sitting on the gear. The wing construction was started. Began producing CNC rib jigs and built a number of ribs.

4th Week of July 2003 Article by Mike Whaley The Pitts Model 14 is announced at Oshkosh, with intense interest shown in Curtis' latest design. The fuselage is displayed and we display computer renderings of how it will look. This website is launched simultaneously, and is well received.

June 2003 Article by Mike Whaley The prototype fuselage was built during the month of June. Curtis returned late in the month to continue the refinement of the design. Things are progressing well... the fuselage is recognizable and on track for an Oshkosh debut.

May 2003 Article by Mike Whaley Construction begins on the Pitts 14 prototype in early May 2003. Curtis came to the shop for a week as his Model 14 drawings became structure for the first time. Jigs were completed for the fuselage side sub-assemblies and tail surfaces. Tubing nibbler pattern templates were completed for all tubes [...]