By Ray Sheffield, EAA 1599, Saluda, South Carolina
I was surprised to see a picture of my Stits Playmate in the January issue of Bits and Pieces in the “From the Archive” section! My aircraft and I were featured in the “What Our Members Are Building” section of the January 1975 issue of EAA Sport Aviation.
I flew the Stits for 25 years before selling it. This was the first of five airplanes I’ve owned. After that I had an RV-6, RV-7, RV-9, and currently a Rans S-19.
I have enjoyed flying for more than 70 years. I flew in to the EAA fly-in in 1956. Few people know that the first EAA fly-in was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and later moved to Rockford, Illinois, before coming to Oshkosh in 1970.
The FAA had to observe the woodwork, welding, covering, and the assembly of the aircraft along with the first flight of the Stits. The wing folding was quick without the removal of any bolts or screws, and it took less than one minute of time. The fabric on the Stits was 25 years old when I sold it, with no signs of deterioration of the fabric or the colour.
I flew completely across the U.S. a number of times, without GPS or other forms of navigation or IFR (I followed railroads).