Boeing Stearman

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WAVE in a Boeing Stearman N2S US Navy training aircraft.

The Stearman model 75, widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman (Stearman became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934) or Kaydet was a biplane, of which over 10,000 were built in the United States during the 1930s as a military trainer aircraft. It served as the basic trainer for the USAAF (as the Kaydet) and USN (as the N2S) throughout World War II and after the conflict was over, thousands of surplus aircraft were sold on the civil market. In the immediate post-war years they became popular as crop dusters and as sports planes.

The US Army Air Corps Kaydet with a Lycoming engine was called the PT-13, with a Continental engine the PT-17, with a Jacobs engine the PT-18.

The Kaydet was of rugged construction, and conventional biplane design 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.

Specifications (PT-17)

General characteristics

• Crew: two, student and instructor
• Length: 24 ft 3 in (7.39 m)
• Wingspan: 32 ft 2 in (9.81 m)
• Height: 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)
• Wing area: ft² ( m²)
• Empty: 1,936 lb (878 kg)
• Loaded: lb ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 2,717 lb (1,232 kg)
• Powerplant: 1x Continental R-670-5, 220 hp (164 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 124 mph (198 km/h)
• Range: 505 miles (808 km)
• Service ceiling: 11,200 ft (3,415 m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
• Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)

Operators

• Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Paraguay, Philippines, United States (Army Air Corps, Army Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy), Venezuela.

Gallery