Aviat Aircraft
From a small town in the Wyoming mountains, Aviat keeps two very different American classics alive: the Pitts Special that ruled aerobatics, and the Husky bush plane.
Aviat Aircraft: the company and the aircraft that made its name
A Wyoming inheritance
Aviat is a company built from inheritances. Founded in 1991 in Afton, a small town in western Wyoming, it drew on the history of the local Call Aircraft Company and took over the product lines of Pitts and of Christen Industries, the firm that had owned the Pitts rights and the Christen Eagle aerobatic kit. In 1995 businessman Stuart Horn bought it and gave it the name Aviat Aircraft Incorporated.
Stinkers and Huskies
Its most famous product is older than the company by almost half a century. Curtis Pitts flew his first aerobatic biplane in September 1944; his cartoon-skunk Stinkers grew into the S-1 and S-2 Pitts Special, which dominated world aerobatic competition in the 1960s and 1970s. Aviat builds the certified versions and still sells plans for the single-seat S-1S. Alongside it is the Husky, designed by Christen from 1985 with CAD software, first flown in 1986 and the only all-new light aircraft to enter US series production in the late 1980s.
Keeping old names flying
The Husky became the steady earner: more than 650 had been sold by 2008, flying on wheels, floats and skis for fisheries patrol, pipeline inspection, glider towing and border work; the Kenya Wildlife Service has used seven to watch over elephant herds against poachers. Aviat also bought the rights to the Globe Swift in 1999, a plan delayed by a lawsuit, and rebuilds Cessna 150s and 152s as the Aviat 150 and 152.
Aviat Aircraft in numbers
La empresa
- En breve
- Founded 1991
- Based in Afton, Wyoming
- Built on Call Aircraft, Pitts and Christen
- Owned by Stuart Horn from 1995
Producción
- Más conocido por
- Pitts Special and Husky
- Certified Pitts S-2 aerobatic biplanes
- Husky utility aircraft: 650+ by 2008
- Christen Eagle II kit line
Hoy
- Ahora
- Activo
- Builds the Pitts and the Husky
- Rebuilds Cessna 150/152s as the Aviat 150/152
The Pitts design has been refined continuously since 1944.
Los números
- Husky sold by 2008
- more than 650
Every notable Aviat Aircraft aircraft
| Aeronave | Role | Primer vuelo | Construido | Estado | Nota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitts Special S-1/S-2 | Aerobatic biplane | 1944 | En producción | Designed by Curtis Pitts; certified versions built by Aviat | |
| Aviat Husky | Two-seat utility aircraft | 1986 | 650+ (to 2008) | En producción | Designed by Christen Industries from 1985 |
| Aviat (Christen) Eagle II | Aerobatic biplane kit | En producción | |||
| Aviat 150 / 152 | Rebuilt Cessna trainers | En producción |
Where Aviat Aircraft built, who led it, what it achieved
Fábricas
- Afton works · Afton, Wyoming — Former Call Aircraft site
Gente
- Stuart Horn · owner from 1995
- Curtis Pitts · designer of the Pitts Special
Aviat Aircraft, year by year
First Pitts biplane flies
Christen Industries begins the Husky design
Husky first flight
Husky certified
Company founded at Afton
Bought by Stuart Horn and renamed Aviat Aircraft Inc.
Buys the rights to the Globe Swift
Husky sales pass 650
Before and after Aviat Aircraft
Everything people ask about Aviat Aircraft
Who builds the Pitts Special today?
What is the Aviat Husky used for?
Where is Aviat based?
When was Aviat founded?
Around Aviat Aircraft
Todos los datos, verificados
Verificado el 3 de octubre de 2026.