Today’s Top Pick is a 1941 Boeing​/​Stearman PT-17.

Many pilots dream of owning a vintage biplane, complete with open cockpits, fabric covering, bracing wires, and other details that characterize the classics.

In the end, though, they decide that such aircraft, lightly built with thin struts and spindly landing gear, are too delicate to be practical. While this notion might hold true for many biplanes designed during aviation’s golden age between World Wars I and II, it does not apply to the Boeing/Stearman PT-17.

Stearman Aircraft Inc. began turning out biplanes for commercial and personal use during the 1920s and by the mid-1930s had the eye of the U.S. Army Air Corps, which was looking for a new primary trainer.

The Stearman A75, later known as the PT-17 was a near-perfect candidate for the job because it was generally easy to fly yet still demanding enough to differentiate aspiring pilots with potential from those who would be better off pursuing a different specialty.

Perhaps most important was the aircraft’s ruggedness. This is one well-built biplane that was capable of bouncing back from the many mistakes that student pilots make.

The characteristics that made the Stearman a great trainer more than 80 years ago make it a wonderful personal airplane today.

The 1941 model for sale here offers pilots a window into aviation’s past, when airplanes had round engines and fabric covering. It also gives us a new way to see those familiar stretches of earth that we fly over regularly—from an open cockpit.

This 1941 Stearman has 3,749 hours on the airframe, 330 hours on its Continental W670-6A radial engine since overhaul, and 210 hours on its Sensenich propeller since overhaul. The VFR panel includes a King KLX 135 digital GPS/Comm, KT 76C transponder and intercom in addition to traditional analog flight and engine instruments

Pilots searching for a vintage biplane that is robust enough to handle frequent modern-day sorties including fly-ins, vacation getaways, and occasional formation flying with the owner’s club should consider this 1941 Boeing/Stearman PT-17, which is available for $155,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Restoration Nation: The Stearman Next Door
• FLYING Magazine: Taking Wing: Stearman Patrol
• FLYING Magazine: Tuskegee Airmen Stearman Flies Into History
• The Aviation Consumer: Antiques and Classics: Owning and Operating
• AVweb: National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Acquires PT-17
• AVweb: Pilot Completes U.K.-Australia Stearman Flight

The post This 1941 Boeing/Stearman PT-17 Is a Tough, Two-Winged ‘Aircraft For Sale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1941 Boeing​/​Stearman PT-17.

Flying a 1940s Stearman biplane is a singular experience that will leave any pilot feeling fortunate and perhaps humbled. How did those young cadets learn to land these things so quickly during World War II? Perhaps it was the urgency of life during wartime, or maybe the producers of the training films I have watched left out the nastier cases of ground loops, noseovers, and other botched landings. Either way, these old biplanes still have a lot of training to offer.

The aircraft for sale here has been upgraded with the Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine, which puts out 450 hp—a big jump from the 220 hp Continentals that powered many Stearmans from the factory. The extra power gives these old birds thrilling performance through big, airshow-style maneuvers. Indeed, this Stearman is registered in the aerobatic category.

This 1941 Stearman has 3,637 hours on the airframe and 912 hours on its Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine since overhaul. The VFR panel features basic “steam gauge” instruments.

Pilots interested in finding out how aerial combatants trained for WWII or simply experiencing a piece of aviation’s golden age should consider this 1941 Boeing​/​Stearman, which is available for $129,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Restoration Nation: The Stearman Next Door
• FLYING Magazine: Ageless Aviation Fleet of Stearmans Expands to Honor More Midwestern Military Veterans
• FLYING Magazine: Taking Wing: Stearman Patrol
• The Aviation Consumer: Buying The Old Ones: Homework Mandatory
• The Aviation Consumer: Off The Beaten Path: Vintage Aircraft

The post This 1941 Boeing/Stearman PT-17 Is a Golden Age ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1943 Boeing​/​Stearman B75N1.

The Stearman Model 75 biplane is a classic that seems to gain popularity with each passing year. The military versions, known as the PT-13, PT-17, and PT-18, depending on whether they had a Lycoming, Continental, or Jacobs engine, taught the bulk of new military cadets how to fly before they moved on to a more complex monoplane trainer like the Vultee BT-13 Valiant.

Today, many general aviation pilots take far more hours learning to fly these machines than the military trainees were allotted. However, people familiar with the Stearman will tell you it is easy to fly and still makes an ideal trainer, especially for pilots interested in eventually flying higher-performance tailwheel aircraft like AT-6s, fighters, and other warbirds.

Flying a Stearman is also an utter joy, judging from the 15 minutes or so of stick time I received in a friend’s airplane in 2013. Looking down through the bracing of its bright yellow wings at the green forests of southeastern New York was an experience I will always treasure. I would like to repeat it someday, for a much longer flight. 

This 1943 Stearman has 4,287 hours on the airframe and five hours on its Lycoming R680-B4E radial engine and 418 hours on the propeller since overhaul. The VFR panel includes a Garmin GTX 327 transponder, GTR 225 radio, and uAvionix SkyBeacon ADS-B.

Other equipment and features include Redline brakes, Skytronics 24-volt, 50-amp alternator, Air Repair landing gear seal kit, Russ tailwheel kit, Airwolf oil filter, and Auto Fuel STC.

Pilots who want a taste—or perhaps just a hint—of what young cadets in World War II went through while learning to fly should consider this 1943 Boeing​/​Stearman B75N1. This type would have been the first aircraft many of those aspiring pilots had ever touched, and it is available for $139,900 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Restoration Nation: The Stearman Next Door
• FLYING Magazine: Ageless Aviation Fleet of Stearmans Expands to Honor More Midwestern Military Veterans
• FLYING Magazine: Taking Wing: Stearman Patrol
• The Aviation Consumer: Off The Beaten Path: Vintage Aircraft
• AVweb: Buying The Old Ones: Homework Mandatory

The post This 1943 Boeing /Stearman B75N1 Is the Quintessential Biplane and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Retired U.S. Air Force Triple Ace Col. Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson, 100, and retired U.S. Navy “Ace of Two Oceans” Cmdr. Dean “Diz” Laird, 101, were treated to Thursday’s flights at Auburn Municipal Airport (KAUN) near Sacramento, California, in the vintage military trainer operated by Dream Flights. 

The Carson City, Nevada-based non-profit has a mission of giving back to veterans and seniors through flights in their four vintage World War II-era biplanes.

The 1940 Boeing Stearman PT-17, which is based on the Stearman Model 75, was produced in large numbers in Wichita, Kansas, as a military aerobatic trainer. The aircraft was renowned for its rugged durability stemming from its steel tube fuselage. Following the war, it became a favored aircraft for crop dusting and airshows.

“It’s neat that this is happening. They’re true American heroes,” James Kidrick, president of the San Diego Air and Space Museum, told the San Diego Union-Tribune before the flight. Both pilots were inducted into the museum’s International Hall of Fame. “They’re going to have a sort of swan song that should be a lot of fun.”

When it came to rumbling down the runway in the open-air biplane, however, it wasn’t exactly either pilot’s first rodeo.

Anderson, whose Air Force career spanned three decades, flew the P-51 Mustang Old Crow while assigned to the 357th Fighter Group “Yoxford Boys.”

“At the young age of 22, Anderson flew two tours of combat against the Luftwaffe in Europe while with the 363rd Fighter Squadron and achieved 16 victories through 116 missions without a single hit from enemy aircraft,” according to the museum. 

Laird is the only Navy pilot to shoot down both German and Japanese aircraft during World War II, the museum said, which called him a “quintessential fighter pilot.” During a nearly 30-year military career, Laird logged more than 8,200 flight hours in virtually every fighter and attack aircraft in the Navy’s inventory.

The men weren’t just reuniting with familiar aircraft. They’ve been friends since they attended Auburn High School together, before they signed up for military service, according to the Union-Tribune.

 “[I]t will be good to see Diz,” Anderson told the newspaper during a phone call before the flight. 

Laird echoed the sentiment, saying, “It will be good to see my friend Bud,” adding, “Well, I’m looking forward to flying, but not falling out—and if I do, I hope the parachute works. I also hope I don’t get air sick.”

Dream Flights operates between 600 to 800 flights annually, vice president of operations Merilyn Chaffee told FLYING. In the span of 11 years, the organization has conducted more than 5,000 flights for veterans in 49 states.

The post Two Legendary Ace World War II Pilots Return to the Skies appeared first on FLYING Magazine.