Boeing PT-27 Kaydet

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 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 USAAF, as a basic trainer for the USN (as the NS & 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.

Photo 259, Pease AFB 2010

Red Baron Stearman Squadron

In 1936, following the Navy’s lead the previous year, the Army tentatively bought 26 airframes from Boeing (the Model 75), which the Army named the PT-13. With war on the horizon, this trickle of acquisition soon turned into a torrent; 3519 were delivered in 1940 alone.

Built as a private venture by the Stearman Aircraft Company of Wichita (bought by Boeing in 1934), this two-seat biplane was of mixed construction. The wings were of wood with fabric covering while the fuselage had a tough, welded steel framework, also fabric covered. Either a Lycoming R-680 (PT-13) or Continental R-670 (PT-17) engine powered most models, at a top speed of 124 mph with a 505-mile range. An engine shortage in 1940-41 led to the installation of 225-hp Jacobs R-755 engines on some 150 airframes, and the new designation PT-18.

The plane was easy to fly, and relatively forgiving of new pilots. It gained a reputation as a rugged airplane and a good teacher. Officially named the Boeing Model 75, the plane was (and still is) persistently known as the "Stearman" by many who flew them. It was called the "PT" by the Army, "N2S" by the Navy and "Kaydet" by Canadian forces. By whatever name, more than 10,000 were built by the end of 1945 and at least 1,000 are still flying today worldwide.

Photo biplane1, Hanscom Field, 2002

Red Baron Stearman Squadron

Photo biplane4, Hanscom Field, 2002

1941 Boeing Stearman

Pearson Field & Jack Murdock Air Museum, Vancouver WA, Sept 2006

Our museum is located on historic Pearson Field, the oldest, active airfield in the United States. Our museum is also home to the country's oldest wooden hangar. Built in 1918 as part of the U.S. Army Spruce Division, it has been used as an airplane hangar since 1921. It even housed Italian prisoners of war during W.W.II.

Our new museum is the first step in a three-phase project to recreate a pre-WWII Army Air Corps Field that existed at Pearson Field in the 1920's and 1930's. Take some time and explore the aviation milestones that have taken place at Pearson Field, and browse through our exhibits and displays, which highlight those pioneering days of aviation in the Northwest.

Photo 559