The venerable Boeing Stearman Model 75 was the primary training aircraft for the US Navy, US Army Air Forces (AAF) and Canadian Air Force during World War II. Known as the “N2S” to Student Naval Aviators, the “PT” to AAF cadets and the “Kaydet” to the Canadians, these aircraft were, in most cases, the first trainer our heroic WWII Naval Aviators and AAF pilots encountered on their way to the fighters, bombers, patrol and cargo aircraft they would eventually fly in the war.
Sometimes referred to as the “Yellow Peril” by those who flew them, these famed aircraft were and still are most commonly and affectionately known as “Stearman,” a reference to the Stearman Aircraft company which designed the aircraft prior to its purchase by Boeing in 1934. Over 10,000 were produced by Boeing between 1936 and 1944. Over 1,000 are still flying today.
Our particular aircraft was delivered to the Navy on 25 August 1943 as an N2S-5 (Lycoming Engine), US Navy BuAeroNo 43263 for $9,120. It served at Naval Air Stations Grose Ile, Michigan; Ottumwa, Iowa and Memphis, Tennessee before being retired from the Navy on 30 November 1949. It worked as a Crop Duster in the Midwest for the next 30 years and then as a flying club aircraft in the 1980s.
In the late 90s it was completely rebuilt and restored to its original Navy configuration with the exception of the Continental Engine which was standard on Navy N2S-3s and N2S-4s.