The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane used as a military trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman or Kaydet, it served as a primary trainer for the United States Army Air Forces, the United States Navy (as the NS & N2S), and with the Royal Canadian Air Force as the Kaydet throughout World War II. After the conflict was over, thousands of surplus aircraft were sold on the civilian market. In the immediate postwar years they became popular as crop dusters, sports planes, and for aerobatic and wing walking use in air shows.
Video Boeing-Stearman Model 75
Design and development
The Kaydet was a conventional biplane of rugged construction with large, fixed tailwheel undercarriage, and accommodation for the student and instructor in open cockpits in tandem. The radial engine was usually uncowled, although some Stearman operators choose to cowl the engine, most notably the Red Baron Stearman Squadron.
Maps Boeing-Stearman Model 75
Operational history
Post-war usage
After World War II, the thousands of primary trainer PT-17 Stearman planes were auctioned off to civilians and former pilots. Many were modified for cropdusting use, with a hopper for pesticide or fertilizer fitted in place of the front cockpit. Additional equipment included pumps, spray bars, and nozzles mounted below the lower wings. A popular approved modification to increase the maximum takeoff weight and climb performance involved fitting a larger Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior engine and a constant-speed propeller. An iconic movie image is a Stearman cropduster chasing Cary Grant across a field in North by Northwest (the airplane that chased Grant was actually a Naval Aircraft Factory N3N Canary; the plane that hits the truck is a Stearman). Christopher Reeve and Scott Wilson are shown flying 1936 variants in the 1985 movie The Aviator.
Variants
The U.S. Army Air Forces Kaydet had three different designations based on its power plant:
- PT-13
- with a Lycoming R-680 engine. 2,141 total all models.
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- PT-13 Initial production. R-680-B4B engine. 26 built.
- PT-13A R-680-7 engine. 92 delivered 1937-38. Model A-75.
- PT-13B R-680-11 engine. 255 delivered 1939-40.
- PT-13C Six PT-13Bs modified for instrument flying.
- PT-13D PT-13As equipped with the R-680-17 engine. 353 delivered. Model E-75.
- PT-17
- With a Continental R-670-5 engine. 3,519 delivered
- PT-17A 18 PT-17s were equipped with blind-flying instrumentation.
- PT-17B Three PT-17s were equipped with agricultural spraying equipment for pest-control.
- PT-18
- PT-13 with a Jacobs R-755 engine, 150 built.
- PT-18A Six PT-18s fitted with blind-flying instrumentation.
- PT-27
- Canadian PT-17. This designation was given to 300 aircraft supplied under Lend-Lease to the RCAF.
The U.S. Navy had several versions including:
- NS
- Up to 61 delivered. powered by surplus 220 hp (164 kW) Wright J-5 Whirlwind.
- N2S
- Known colloquially as the "Yellow Peril" from its overall-yellow paint scheme.
- N2S-1 R-670-14 engine. 250 delivered to the U.S. Navy.
- N2S-2 R-680-8 engine. 125 delivered to the U.S. Navy.
- N2S-3 R-670-4 engine. 1,875 delivered to the U.S. Navy.
- N2S-4 99 US Army aircraft diverted to the U.S. Navy, plus 577 new-build aircraft.
- N2S-5 R-680-17 engine. 1,450 delivered to the U.S. Navy.
- Stearman 70
- Original prototype, powered by 215 hp (160 kW) Lycoming radial engine. Temporary designation XPT-943 for evaluation.
- Model 73
- Initial production version. 61 built for U.S. Navy as NS plus export variants.
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- Model 73L3
- Version for Philippines, powered by 200 hp (150 kW) R-680-4 or R-680C1 engines. Seven built.
- Model A73B1
- Seven aircraft for Cuban Air Force powered by 235 hp (175 kW) Wright R-790 Whirlwind. Delivered 1939-1940.
- Model A73L3
- Improved version for Philippines. Three built.
- Stearman 75
- (a.k.a. X75) Evaluated by the U.S. Army as a primary trainer. The X75L3 became the PT-13 prototype. Variants of the 75 formed the PT-17 family.
- Stearman 76
- Export trainer and armed versions of the 75.
- Stearman 90 and 91
- (a.k.a. X90 & X91) Productionized metal frame version, becoming the XBT-17.
- Stearman XPT-943
- The X70 evaluated at Wright Field.
- American Airmotive NA-75
- Single-seat agricultural conversion of Model 75, fitted with new, high-lift wings.
Operators
- Argentina
- Argentine Air Force
- Argentine Navy received 16 Model 76D1s 1936 to 1937 and 60 N2S Kaydet post-war; all were retired by the early 1960s
- Bolivia
- Bolivian Air Force
- Brazil
- Brazilian Air Force model A75L3 and 76.
- Canada
- Royal Canadian Air Force received 301 PT-27s under Lend Lease.
- Republic of China
- Republic of China Air Force received 150 PT-17s under Lend-Lease, and 20 refurbished aircraft post war.
- Colombia
- Colombian Air Force
- Cuba
- Cuban Air Force
- Dominican Republic
- Dominican Air Force
- Greece
- Hellenic Air Force
- Guatemala
- Guatemalan Air Force
- Honduras
- Honduran Air Force
- Iran
- Imperial Iranian Air Force
- Israel
- Israeli Air Force purchased 20 PT-17s.
- Mexico
- Mexican Air Force
- Nicaragua
- Nicaraguan Air Force
- Paraguay
- Paraguayan Air Force
- Peru
- Peruvian Air Force
- Philippines
- Philippine Army Air Corps
- Philippine Air Force
- United States
- United States Army Air Corps/United States Army Air Forces
- United States Marine Corps
- United States Navy
- Venezuela
- Venezuelan Air Force ; Yugoslavia :Yugoslav Air Force
Surviving aircraft
A considerable number of Stearmans remain in flying condition throughout the world, as the type remains a popular sport plane and warbird.
- Argentina
- An N2S-5 (BuNo. 61151) (ex-0308/1-E-57) is at the Argentine Naval Aviation Museum in flight condition.
- Brazil
- A PT-17 is displayed at the Museu Aeroespacial in Rio de Janeiro and TAM Museum in São Carlos.
- Canada
- A PT-27 (Canadian PT-17) is maintained in operating condition at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario.
- Colombia
- Two PT-17s remain in active service for display (serials FAC-62 and FAC-1995).
- Israel
- The Israeli Air Force maintains a single airworthy PT-17 ("31") at its museum in Hatzerim.
- Mexico
- Three PT-17s are on display at the Air College.
- Peru
- A PT-17 is on display at the Instituto de Estudios Históricos Aeroespaciales del Perú, Miraflores, Lima.
- Spain
- Two PT-17s, one of them airworthy and the other one being restored, are on display at Fundación Infante de Orleans (FIO) in Cuatro Vientos (Madrid)
- Switzerland
- A PT-13D (HB-RBG) belonging to the Stearman Club, originally built in 1943 and restored in 1990 after a crash due to an engine failure, is based at the Fliegermuseum Altenrhein
- United States
- A Stearman Model 70 (N571Y): The original prototype of the Model 75 is in the final stages of restoration at Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum.
- A PT-13D operated by the United States Army Air Forces and used in 1944 for training members of the Tuskegee Airmen, is on static display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
- A PT-17 (A75N1; s/n 41-7960; c/n 75-1519; N53129) is in regular use at Mississippi State University as a research aircraft and glider tow-plane.
- A PT-17 (s/n 41-8022; N49760) is on display and available for flights at Flying Adventures, Johnson Aeronautical, St Petersburg Clearwater International Airport in St Pete, Florida
- A PT-17 (s/n 41-8786; c/n 75-2345) is on display at the New England Air Museum, Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, CT.
- A PT-17 (s/n 41-25254; c/n 75-2743; N41EE) Kaydet is presented as a USN N2S-3 (a.k.a. "Yellow Peril") and is flown regularly at the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia.
- A PT-17 (A75L3; s/n 41-25588; c/n 75-3095; N62945) is in regular use at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, California.
- A PT-17 (s/n 41-25623; c/n 75-3130) is on display in the hangar deck of the USS Yorktown (CV-10) at The Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.
- A PT-17 (s/n 42-15687; c/n 75-3876) is on display at Vintage Flying Museum, Meacham International Airport, Fort Worth, Texas.)
- A PT-27 (s/n 42-15804; c/n 75-3993; RCAF FJ943) is flown on behalf of the No. 1 British Flying Training School Museum where it commemorates its service with the No. 1 BFTS during World War II from early 1943 to mid 1944. This particular aircraft was one of 300 given to the Royal Canadian Air Force under Lend-Lease and served in Canada from June 1942 to December 1942.
- A PT-13D (s/n 42-17800; c/n 75-5693) is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This aircraft is from the last batch of Kaydets produced (contract numbers 75-5009 through 75-6026) and was donated to the museum in 1959 by the Boeing Aircraft Company, which purchased the Stearman Company in 1934.
- A N2S-3 (BuNo 05369) flown by George H. W. Bush during his initial training as a naval pilot is on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola, Florida.
- A N2S-3 (BuNo 92468; c/n 75-6707) in which George H. W. Bush once flew as part of his navy training is on display at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.
- A N2S-3 (BuNo 38278; c/n 75-7899) is on display at the Tri-State Warbird Museum in Batavia, Ohio.
- A N2S (BuNo 15923) is on display Carolinas Aviation Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina.
- An N2S-5 (BuNo 43197; c/n 75-8291) has been operated by the Commemorative Air Force Utah Wing and is currently undergoing an extensive restoration.
- An annual gathering of surviving Stearman biplanes known as the "Stearman Fly-In" takes place during the first week of September at the Galesburg Municipal Airport in Galesburg, Illinois.
- A PT-17 is on display at the Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, Warner Robins, Georgia
Specifications (PT-17)
Data from United States Military Aircraft since 1909
General characteristics
- Crew: two, student and instructor
- Length: 24 ft 9 in (7.54 m)
- Wingspan: 32 ft 2 in (9.81 m)
- Height: 9 ft 8 in (3 m)
- Wing area: 298 sq ft (27.7 m²)
- Empty weight: 1,931 lb (878 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 2,635 lb (1,200 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Continental R-670-5 seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 220 hp (164 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 135 mph (117 knots, 217 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 96 mph (83 knots, 155 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 13,200 ft (4,024 m)
- Climb to 10,000 ft (3,330 m): 17.3 min
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Arado Ar 66
- Bücker Bü 131
- De Havilland Tiger Moth
- Fleet Finch
- Focke-Wulf Fw 44
- Gotha Go 145
- Naval Aircraft Factory N3N
- Polikarpov Po-2
- PWS-26
References
Notes
Bibliography
Videography
External links
- Interview with Boeing PT-17 air show pilot John Mohr.
- Netherlander Hans Nordsiek's "The Storyteller" homepage, featuring his "Old Crow" Stearman biplane
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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