I've been flirting with aerobatics for a few years now with little success.  I've flown with friends in Decathlons and did a loop or two, I've rolled several airplanes that I probably shouldn't have, I even attended a ten hour aerobatics course in Texas a year or so ago, but there's always one major obstacle that has prevented me from jumping in with both feet:  Where do you find an airplane to fly aerobatics in?
It's obvious that there aren't any aerobatic airplanes around here to rent.  So what's a pilot to do?  I spent a lot of time trying to find an 'affordable' aerobatic airplane and, let's face it, there aren't any.  But the best bang-for-the-buck I found was the Pitts S-2A, a 200 HP two place, factory built airplane what was suitable for up to advanced category aerobatics.  And a good one can be had for under $60,000 - not cheap, but not out of the question either. 
My only experience in a Pitts was a year or so ago, and it was an hour ride in a Pitts S-2C - the new and vastly improved version.  At the time I was not impressed.  The story line is - "a Pitts does what you tell it to do, exactly when you tell it to do it, and it keeps doing it until you tell it to stop."  No kidding.  I followed that S-2C all over the sky that day and wore myself out with way too much control input and way too little experience.
But that was over a year ago and after looking for aerobatic rides I found that the Pitts S-2A was my best option, so I conveniently forgot that I couldn't fly one.  I bought N51ST from a fellow in Houston who had just built a big Samson biplane and wanted to get rid of one of his money pits (ha).  Anyway, I bought the S-2A from him providing he ferry it up here, which he did.  I didn't sleep much the night before the purchase and slept even less once it was done.  I had just spent a lot of money on an airplane I couldn't fly.  What now?
I signed up for a ten hour course in the Pitts and headed to Dallas to get it done.  No aerobatics, no spin training, just round and round like the old days - learning how to land.  After the first day with 2.5 hours in my log book and I went to the hotel and wondering what the hell I had done.  I knew there was no way I would ever learn to land the Pitts.  How could I sell the S-2A and get my money back when I'd never even flown it?
The second day started with breakfast and my instructor talking a lot about flying the Pitts.  He asked what I had most of my tail dragger time in and I told him I had about 100 hours in a J-3.  "They call that a trainer", he said.  "It isn't.  The Pitts is easier to land than the J-3.  You just have to get a feel for it.  It will come today."
Well, I won't try to convince you that the Pitts is easier to land than a Cub, but in some respects I think he was right.  Much of my fear of landing the Pitts came from years of hearing how tough it was.  It is very, very different from anything I've flown, but not impossible.  I'm no hot stick by any means but I was landing consistently after five hours, and felt almost comfortable after ten.  I soloed my airplane with ten hours duel in an S-2C and it was a rush!  Every landing is an adventure to be sure, and there are lots of ways to hurt yourself in a Pitts if you're not careful, but that's true in any airplane.  You just have to learn the airplane and get ahead of it.  I may very well wrap my Pitts up at some point, but if I do it will likely be because of a sense of complacency or flying in conditions beyond my ability, not because it was too difficult to fly.
         So if you've ever thought about owning a high performance tail dragger, don't believe for a minute that you can't fly it and land it.  You can.  And if you get a chance to fly a Pitts don't pass it up.  Just remember, it does what you tell it to do, exactly when you tell it to do it, and it keeps doing it until you tell it to stop.

- Chip