Boeing-Stearman Model 75

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Model 75 “Stearman”
Boeing Stearman N67193 in USN markings
Role	Biplane Trainer
Manufacturer	Stearman / Boeing
Number built	C. 9,783
Unit cost	$11,000

The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane, of which at least 9,783 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s as a military trainer aircraft. Stearman became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934. Widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman or Kaydet, it served as a Primary trainer for the USAAF, as a basic trainer for the USN (as the NS1 & N2S), and with the RCAF as the Kaydet throughout World War II. 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.

Design

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.

Variants

The US 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.
  • PT-13 Initial production. R-680-B4B engine. 26 built. Boeing Model 75.
  • 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.
• PT-17 with a Continental R-670-5 engine. 3,519 delivered
  • PT-17A 18 PT-17s were equipped with blind-flying instrumention.
  • 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 instrumention.
• PT-27 Canadian PT-17. This designation was given to 300 aircraft supplied under Lend-Lease to the RCAF.

WAVE in a Boeing Stearman N2S US Navy training aircraft.

Parked at Centennial Airport

Boeing Stearman NS1, NAS Pensacola Flight School 1936.

Boeing Stearman E75 (PT-13D) of 1944

The US Navy had several versions including:

• NS-1 Up to 61 delivered.
• N2S Known colloquially as the “Yellow Peril” from its overall-yellow paint scheme.
• N2S-1 R-670-14 engine. 250 delivered to the US Navy.
• N2S-2 R-680-8 engine. 125 delivered to the US Navy.
• N2S-3 R-670-4 engine. 1,875 delivered to the US Navy.
• N2S-4 99 US Army aircraft were diverted to the US Navy, plus 577 new aircraft were delivered to the US Navy.
• N2S-5 R-680-17 engine. 1,450 delivered to the US Navy.

Operators

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Canada

• Royal Canadian Air Force

China
Colombia
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Greece
Guatemala
Honduras
Israel
Mexico
Paraguay
Philippines

• Philippine Army Air Corps
• Philippine Air Force

United States

• US Army Air Corps/US Army Air Forces
• US Marine Corps
• United States Navy

Venezuela

Survivors

A considerable number of Stearman remain in flying condition throughout the world, as the type remains a popular sport plane and warbird.

• PT-13D (s/n 42-17800) is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This aircraft is the last Kaydet produced. It was donated in 1959 by the Boeing Aircraft Company, which purchased the Stearman Company in 1938.

Specifications (PT-17)

Data from {name of first source}

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)
• Empty weight: 1,936 lb (878 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 2,717 lb (1,232 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Continental R-670-5, 220 hp (164 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 124 mph (198 km/h)
• Range: 505 mi (808 km)
• Service ceiling 11,200 ft (3,415 m)

See also

Comparable aircraft

• De Havilland Tiger Moth

References

Notes

1. National Museum of the United States Air Force gives the figure 10,346.
2. NMUSAF fact sheet: PT-13 Kaydet
3. United States Air Force Museum 1975, p. 21.

Bibliography

• Avis, Jim and BowmaN, Martin. Stearman: A Pictorial History. Motorbooks, 1997. ISBN 0-76030-479-3.
• Phillips, Edward H. Stearman Aircraft: A Detailed History . Specialty Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58007-087-6.
• United States Air Force Museum. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation. 1975. 

Videography

• Stearman, Lloyd. Stearmans, You Gotta Love Them. Lap Records, 2005. (NTSC Format)

External links

• Interview with Boeing PT-17 air show pilot John Mohr.