Boeing-Stearman Kaydet
As a result of the increasing war threat the US Air Force was facing in the late thirties, Stearman's sport biplane appeared at the right time to provide young pilots the perfect trainer they needed.
The plane was widely constructed in the Wichita Division of Boeing from 1935 until the end of WW2. The first version, the PT-13, had a nine cylinder 220 hp Lycoming R-680 engine, while from 1940, a Continental equipped the PT-17, the PT-18 version receiving a Jacobs. A closed cockpit version was built in Canada, the PT-27, with an improved instrumentation. Only 301 were produced. They had limited use in Elementary Flying Training Schools from 1942 to 1943. It was given the name Kaydet I by the RCAF.
In 1941, 125 Lycoming equipped airplanes where delivered to the Navy, with designation N2S-2. The USN also received a total of 1.875 N2S-3 versions, with a Continental engine. A total of 10.346 units where built, and after the war, many Stearmans were converted to crop dusters. A lot of them are still flying today as sport planes.
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-17 : With a Continental R-670-5 engine. 3,519 delivered.
- PT-18 : PT-13 with a Jacobs R-755 engine, 150 built.
- PT-27 : Canadian PT-17. This designation was given to 300 aircraft supplied under Lend-Lease to the RCAF.
The US 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.
- 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 US Navy as NS plus export variants.
- Stearman 75 : (a.k.a. X75) Evaluated by the 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) Productionised metal framed 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.
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