Updated this morning · Oct 18, 2026
Pitts Special: prices, price cuts and days on market
11 are for sale on Barnstormers today, with a median asking price of $93,750. 25% of the ones we watched appear are still listed 21 days later, and 6 sellers cut price in the last 30 days.
The Special market this morning
What does a used Special ask right now?
With 11 for sale this morning, the Pitts Special is the 35th most-listed piston type on Barnstormers. 4 were listed in the last 30 days and 10 came down, slower churn than the experimental and kit average. 3 of them are in FL.
Asking prices run from $7,500 to $230,000, and half of the 10 priced listings sit between $74,900 and $110,000. The median is $93,750, 22% below the experimental and kit median of $119,500.
6 sellers cut price in the last 30 days, 55% of the live fleet against 27% across every type we track; the average cut took 9% off the ask. Of the Specials we watched appear, 25% were still for sale 21 days later.
Written from this morning's figures and how they compare with the other types on the site. It changes as the market does.
By variant
| Variant | Seen | Live | Median ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-2B | 7 | 4 | $120,000 |
| S-1S | 5 | 0 | — |
| S-1 | 3 | 0 | — |
| S-2A | 3 | 1 | $74,900 |
| S-2 | 3 | 2 | $89,000 |
| S-2C | 3 | 1 | $230,000 |
| S-1C | 2 | 0 | — |
Only listings whose title names a variant. Median is over live, priced listings of that variant.
Asking price distribution
Asking prices as typed by the seller. "Call" and "make offer" are counted as unpriced.
Median asking by decade
| Built | Seen | Median ask | Cut rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 | $57,000 | 100% |
| 1980s | 1 | $69,500 | 0% |
| 1990s | 3 | $125,000 | 33% |
Year is read from the seller's title, so 79% of Special listings don't have one. They count everywhere else on this page but not in this table.
Be first to the next Special that lists or drops
One Telegram message the morning a Special appears in your budget, and another the day a seller cuts, with days listed and where the ask sits against these 11. Free during beta.
Buyer's notes
About the Pitts Special
What it is
The Pitts Special is a small aerobatic biplane, a steel-tube fuselage with wood-spar fabric wings that defined competition aerobatics from the 1960s into the 1980s. The single-seat S-1 has been built from plans and kits by amateurs for decades and was also factory built in S-1S and S-1T form. The two-seat S-2 series (S-2A, S-2B and S-2C) came out of the factory certified and trained a large share of the world's aerobatic pilots. Production is still alive, so parts and support are better than for most 1970s designs.
The airplane rolls fast, snaps clean and does nothing slowly. Landing is the famous part: the nose blocks the runway, the gear is narrow and springy and the approach is a curving slip until the last second. Pilots who arrive without tailwheel time remember their first landings, and insurance companies price accordingly.
Variants that matter for price
Single-seat S-1C airplanes are plans-built with flat-bottom wings and a small engine; the S-1S has symmetrical wings and four ailerons with a 180 hp Lycoming and is the competition standard among the small ones; the S-1T is the factory version with a 200 hp injected engine and a constant-speed prop. Two-seat S-2As have a 200 hp engine and are the affordable trainers. The S-2B moved to a 260 hp six-cylinder and a longer fuselage and is the one most buyers want, and the S-2C from 2000 on refined the tail and wingtips and sits at the top. A certified airframe asks more than an amateur-built one, and an inverted oil and fuel system is expected on anything meant for real aerobatics.
What buyers check
Wood spars and the glue joints in the wings are the first inspection, for moisture, cracks near the fittings and repairs. The tubing is inspected around the lower longerons, tail post, wing attach fittings and gear legs, which crack on airplanes that have been landed hard. The aerobatic engine, usually an AEIO-360 or AEIO-540, is checked for the condition of its inverted oil system, the exhaust and the engine-mount tubing. Some aerobatic constant-speed prop hubs carry recurring inspections that a buyer should confirm. Ask about the amateur-built S-1s the way you would ask about any homebuilt: who built it, from what plans and how close to standard it is. A logbook that records hard landings honestly is worth more than a spotless book on an airplane that has clearly been repaired. A condition inspection tends to find cracked exhaust, worn tailwheel parts, loose fabric at the trailing edges and small wood repairs.
Who it suits
A Pitts suits a pilot who wants to do aerobatics seriously, has a tailwheel endorsement and real hours and is willing to fly a short, blind, bouncy approach every time. The S-2 versions suit instructors and anyone who wants to bring a passenger. It is not a traveling airplane and it carries nothing. Buyers cross-shop the Extra 300L (more money, more capable), the Christen Eagle II and the Decathlon for a gentler entry.
How much does a used Pitts Special cost?
Asking prices on Barnstormers this morning run from $7,500 to $230,000, and the median is $93,750. The middle half of the 10 priced listings sit between $74,900 and $110,000. These are asking prices, not sale prices.
How many Pitts Specials are for sale right now?
11 on Barnstormers as of Oct 18, 2026. 4 were listed in the last 30 days and 10 came down. PlaneSnipe has tracked 33 since Jul 19, 2026.
How long does a Pitts Special take to sell?
25% of the Special listings we watched appear are still for sale 21 days later, so most take longer than that. We will publish a median once more than half of the cohort has closed.
How often do Pitts Special sellers cut the price?
6 price cuts in the last 30 days against 11 live listings, averaging 9% off the previous ask. Cuts are logged when the asking price drops between two consecutive mornings.
Last 30 days
Which Special sellers cut their price in the last 30 days?
| Aircraft | Where | Listed | Asking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitts Super Stinker ProjectOct 15 | — | 82 d | $10,000$7,500−25% |
| Pitts S2-aOct 11 | FL | 38 d | $87,000$80,000−8% |
| Pitts S-2AOct 6 | WI | 82 d | $79,000$74,900−5% |
| Pitts S-2BOct 5 | TN | 91 d | $92,000$89,500−3% |
| For Sale Beautiful Pitts S-2BSep 26 | FL | 91 d | $145,000$130,000−10% |
| Pitts S1SSep 19 | PA | 62 d | $36,000$35,000−3% |
For sale now
Which Specials are for sale right now?
Newest first. Days listed is counted from the morning we first saw the ad; listings that predate Jul 19, 2026 show the day we started watching.
| Aircraft | Where | Listed | Cuts | Asking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flawless Pitts S-2B | ID | 19 d | – | $159,900 |
| Pitts S-2B | SC | 19 d | – | $110,000 |
| Beautiful 1977 Pitts S2 | FL | 20 d | – | $98,000 |
| Pitts S2C For Sale | — | 24 d | – | $230,000 |
| Pitts S2-a | FL | 38 d | 1 | $80,000 |
| Pitts S-1SE | CO | 57 d | – | $45,000 |
| Pitts S-2A | WI | 82 d | 2 | $74,900 |
| Pitts Super Stinker Project | — | 82 d | 1 | $7,500 |
| Pitts S-2B | TN | 91 d | 2 | $89,500 |
| For Sale Beautiful Pitts S-2B | FL | 91 d | 1 | $130,000 |
| Pitts Pitts Pitts & More! | NJ | 91 d | – | see ad |
Cross-shop
What else does a Special buyer look at?
Other Pitts types with a page here, then the same class at a similar asking price.
Geography and method
Where are the Specials, and how are they counted?
Where they are
How we count
Barnstormers piston categories are read once a day. A listing is "delisted" after it is missing on two consecutive mornings. Days listed starts the morning we first saw the ad, so listings that predate Jul 19, 2026 are excluded from time-on-market figures. Prices are asking prices as typed by the seller. Nothing here is an appraisal. Full methodology.