“Stearman One” A Presidential Kaydet
By Chuck Cravens
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he Model 75 Kaydet, universally recognized as the Stearman, is the most produced American biplane in history. The type’s survival in impressive numbers is reflective of the many uses this workhorse has had over its 70 year lifespan. The popularity of restored Stearmans is a result of the beautiful and nostalgic experience that only wind in your face, open cockpit flying can provide.
On July 10, 2015, a yellow N2S-1 Stearman, BuNo 3347, lifted into the air for the first time in many years after an extensive eight month restoration. This Stearman has a special history and story to tell. January 28, 1943, was a typical cold Minnesota winter day when the youngest aviation cadet in the Navy walked out to a yellow Stearman sitting on the ramp at WoldChamberlain Field in Minneapolis. The mercury hovered at 16 degrees Fahrenheit as George Herbert Walker Bush climbed into the rear cockpit for his ninth solo flight of the month. He was airborne for 1.3 hours according to his logbook. Less than three months earlier, on November 12, 1942, Bush made his first flight in a Spartan NP-1. He soloed nine days later. At age 18, Bush was one of 60 cadets to make up class 11AL, all of whom came from preflight training at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
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Captions His first flight instructor in Minneapolis was J.C. Crume. After 11.3 hours of dual instruction with Crume, flight instructor J.A. Boyle took him up for his pre-solo check. When they landed, Boyle noted in his flight log, “Satisfactory check. Taxied a little fast. Landings were average to above with the exception of one almost ground loop. Safe for solo.� Bush continued flight training, including another 1.5 hour flight in BuNo 3347. He completed primary training in 61 flights that totaled 82.5 hours. Bush went to the fleet as an eager young combat pilot flying TBM Avengers from USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) as a member of Torpedo Squadron Fifty One (VT-51). On September 2, 1944, Bush was part of a division of four TBMs that attacked the Japanese installations on Chichijima. The future President was shot down during that mission but survived for four hours in a life raft until picked up by USS Finback (SS-230), a submarine on rescue duty. Bush returned to the San Jacinto in November 1944 and participated in operations in the Philippines. During his 58 combat missions, Bush
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was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and shared in the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to San Jacinto. Meanwhile, humble little BuNo 3347 soldiered on, serving a stint at NAS Memphis before being returned to Minneapolis. The N2S-1 was struck from the Army inventory on April 26, 1945, five months before George H.W. Bush was honorably released from active duty and entered Yale University. Jess Orval Dockery of Stuttgart, Arkansas, bought BuNo 3347 for $875 from the Defense Plant Corporation, a corporation designated to sell surplus military equipment at the end of World War II. Dockery used BuNo 3347 as a crop duster and equipped her with a hopper, a spray rig, and a Pratt and Whitney (P&W) R-985 engine. Dockery was one of the early pilots to attempt crop dusting. In the summer of 1924, armyworms had invaded the cotton in the Louisiana delta. In an attempt to halt the
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devastation to the cash crop, mules were trotted through the fields with long hickory poles on their backs. On each end of the pole were sacks of calcium arsenate. The theory was that the trotting would jar the bags enough to spread the insecticide. Obviously that was a slow and impractical way to get the job done. Doctor B.R. Coad had proposed aerial insecticide application to fight boll weevil infestations, so the manager of Delta Pine and Land Company asked Dockery and his partner Alan Scott to try spreading the insecticide by air. They pulled the front seat out of a borrowed Hisso Standard biplane they were flying and tried it. Despite problems with the insecticide blowing in the pilot’s face, they were fairly successful. J.O. Dockery went on to own a flying service and dusting operation in Stuttgart, Arkansas. He also was a test pilot for Clyde Cessna for a time and one of the first three pilots for Braniff Airlines. It is an interesting fact that the most well-known and by far most produced plane bearing the Stearman name wasn’t, strictly speaking, designed by Lloyd Stearman. The stock market crash and ensuing depression had hit the aircraft industry hard and Stearman Aircraft Company was no exception. Recently sold to a Boeing subsidiary,
the on-paper profit from the sale of Stearman to United Air and Transport was eliminated by the market crash. Lloyd Stearman himself no longer had much of a financial stake in the company. Like most airplane companies, Stearman’s current orders began to be cancelled and the flow of new orders dried up. Despite all that, the United Air and Transport conglomerate decided to build their Stearman Division a new factory next to the Wichita Municipal Airport. It was during this period that Lloyd Stearman and Mac Short designed the Model 6 Cloudboy. Stearman airplanes had always been designed for quality and consequently were higher priced than many of their competitors. In late 1929 and early 1930 the need for a less expensive product was apparent and the Cloudboy was designed as an entry level Stearman trainer.
The Model 70-76 Stearman The Model 6 Cloudboy, Lloyd Stearman’s final design for the Stearman Company did eventually lead to the company’s biggest contract. The Model 6 was originally designed for the Navy as a primary trainer but budget constraints pre-
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Caption cluded a Navy order. The Army liked the plane and bought six of them in 1931, designating this model the YPT-9.
another Army flying competition for a basic trainer contract. No further Army Stearmans designated as Model 6 were built.
Throughout his career, Lloyd Stearman was first and foremost an engineer and designer of some very successful airplanes. Far down his personal priority list was being a businessman. He didn’t like business affairs and was never good at them. By 1931 he was fed up with the management by United Air and he resigned as president of Stearman Aircraft. Stearman remained on the board of directors for another year then cut all ties with the company.
After Lloyd Stearman left the company in 1931, the YPT-9 was further developed by a team of engineers and eventually lead to the thousands of Stearman primary trainers produced for the Army and Navy before and during World War II. Despite the fact that Lloyd Stearman wasn’t the designer of the Model 70, 73, 75 and 76, all recognizable as part of the model 75 Boeing Kaydet series, the entire series was based on Lloyd’s Model 6 Cloudboy. Model 75 production lasted from 1934 through 1945. Production figures for the Model 75 vary a bit depending on the source and whether only completed airframes are listed or airframes plus parts that are enough to complete additional airframes are included. Publicity figures mention 10,346 examples built, but numerous sources indicate that number includes spare part equivalents. So ends the Stearman history lesson.
Meanwhile the Cloudboy was entered in a military trainer competition. In those days the Army would set a specification, companies would build to that specification, and the Army would buy a few of each model. Then they test flew and analyzed them, picked the one they liked best, then hired the winning company to produce aircraft. The Model 6 already fit the Army’s primary trainer specifications pretty well and a civilian version was sent for testing. The Army wanted some changes made and a second ‘6A was modified slightly. This airframe resulted in the Army ordering four airframes designated YPT-9. Various experiments with engine changes and wings with new airfoils were conducted because the rate of climb didn’t satisfy the Army. During this time the sturdy Model 6 frame was also equipped with an early 300-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-985 and entered in
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The subject aircraft moved through a couple more civilian owners, including Robert Hood of Carthage, Missouri, who researched the airframe’s history, and together with the National Biplane Association, obtained a plate from the National Museum of Naval Aviation certifying the Stearman was flown by naval aviator George H.W. Bush. In late 2014, the Kaydet was acquired by the Wings of the North Museum at Flying Cloud Airport near Minneapolis. The museum was looking for a Stearman to add to its collection, but didn’t want just any Stearman. They were
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looking for one with a special story and they certainly found that in 3347, which was not only flown by President Bush, but much of its World War II military career was spent a few miles away from the museum. After its years as a crop duster and cycling through different owners, 3347 was what you might call your typical Stearman basket case. Sticking with the Minnesota theme, Aircorps Aviation in Bemidji, Minnesota, was commissioned to complete the restoration. As with any project, goals were set. For 3347 the target was to complete the airplane exactly as it would have been during its time at Wold-Chamberlain and to fly it to AirVenture 2015. Laying the ground work for this project, a high quality scan of the original Stearman engineering drawings was completed and digitized, providing the guidance to determine what this airplane would have looked like when it rolled out of the Stearman factory in early 1941. The finish specs for the N2S-1 were also located to guide the decisions to be made regarding authentic paint materials, markings, and colors. Holding to the commitment for authenticity, important decisions included completing the airplane with no electrical system, using AC fittings instead of AN, and utilizing period correct vintage bolts and hardware throughout, just as it would have been delivered in 1941.
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Caption After arrival at Aircorps Aviation, the first task was to restore the wing hardware. In addition to the correct finishes to be used on the interior of the wing, all of the original aluminum bolts were either cleaned for reuse or replacements sourced. The two piece sheet metal leading edges were remanufactured by Aircorps. They are just as the originals with a slight seam being visible on the leading edges of the wings underneath the fabric covering. With the hardware kit complete, the wings and center section were turned over to Big Sky Stearman for completion of the wood work and covering per the Stearman drawings. The wings taken care of, attention was turned to the spine of the Stearman. The fuselage frame was placed in a jig so the sins of the past 75 years could be made right by Javron, Inc. in Brainerd, Minnesota, then it was coated with epoxy followed by a coat of the original green colored zinc chromate. With the tubular frame complete, the restoration and installation of all the items that fill a Stearman fuselage began, including metal floorboards, bronze green seats, restored instruments and controls. At the same time work started on the bird cages with new front and rear arches fabricated out of the correct material to the original drawings. The bird cage was installed unpainted, just as it would have been when delivered.
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The firewall forward assembly was tackled using a fresh Continental 220 overhauled by Air Repair Inc. of Cleveland, Mississippi, using original hardware in the installation. All firewall forward components, with the exception of the engine mount, were left bare, including the inside surfaces of the cowling, as it would have been delivered. Since the N2S-1 was built without an electrical system, the inertia starter was overhauled and a correct high hole starter crank/step assembly was built when none could be found. One of the inconveniences for flying her that resulted from strict accuracy was the unshielded ignition. Like the cherry on an ice cream sundae, a McCauley propeller painted in correct silver lacquer, stencils, and water slides finished off the nose of BuNo 3347. When the wings arrived back in Bemidji and the fuselage was completed, new sheet metal for the leading edges of the tail surfaces was made in preparation for covering. One of the only concessions made, in order to maximize her longevity and ease of maintenance, was the Poly-Fiber covering process that was applied instead of the original cotton. Sharon Hokuf, the shop mom, sewed envelopes for the covering per the drawings. They turned out beautifully. Ten ounce canvas duck was also used to make all reinforcing patches, also as specified. The Stearman was coated with Yellow #4 and the sheet metal parts were painted using lacquer just as the finish specs called for. The landing gear was overhauled and Hayes brakes were used. The installation included Gidair master cylinders, for which Aircorps Aviation had recently purchased the STC. The big day came when 3347 was finally moved to Aircorps’ hangar at the Bemidji Regional Airport. The aircraft was assembled, rigged, and test flown in three days, with only one week left until Oshkosh. Ryan Mohr completed the first flight, and then included the prerequisite loop, hammerhead, and barrel roll on the second flight! Test flying complete, Paul Ehlen and Mark Tisler made the flight from Bemidji to Oshkosh with one fuel stop. After fueling, 3347 was a little cantankerous due to the stature of the ground crew and the height of the hand crank starter, but it finally snapped to life and was pointed east. Above the crackle of the unshielded ignition on the handheld radio, Paul heard the only radio communication for the whole flight, “Yellow Stearman land green dot and welcome to Oshkosh!” After being examined by the judges, BuNo 3347 was awarded Best Stearman and the Silver Wrench plaque. The historic Stearman was on display at Oshkosh for the entire week. Hundreds of admirers stopped by to check out the airplane and former President George H.W. Bush’s signature on the baggage door. After watching the reactions at Oshkosh, it is easy to see why it’s so important to preserve and fly these airplanes, so future generations will have a chance to connect with history. Thanks to owners like Paul Ehlen, who are willing to invest extensive resources, future generations will be afforded that opportunity.
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Stearman N2S-1, BuNo 3347 Chronology 1941 Manufactured in January, Accepted January 2—Naval Engine: Continental R-670-4 Civilian (designation W670-6N) 1943 January 28—Flown by George H. W. Bush for 1.3 hours, remarks: C solo February 5—Flown by George H. W. Bush for 1.5 hours, remarks: D solo 1945 April 26—J.O. Dockery of Stuttgart, Arkansas (only initials appear on paperwork) bought BuNo 3347 for $875 from Defense Plant Corporation, a corporation created by Reconstruction Finance Corporation pursuant to Section 5d of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act, a corporation designated to sell surplus military equipment at the end of WWII CAA registration N50061 approved 1946 September 9—Dockery Air Service had a chemical hopper installed in the front cockpit with wind driven agitator 1950 February 15—Additional hopper supports installed June 30—Continental 670 removed, Pratt and Whitney T1B3 ( R985-AN3) 450-hp installed (serial number 200412), Hamilton Standard constant speed prop 2D30227 (serial number 119838) installed along with mount, oil tank, heater box, stainless steel muffs and controls pursuant to N61223 1965 May 25—FAA (earlier CAA) registration N50061 cancelled 1972 October 18—FAA registration N50061 reinstated October 19—Purchased by Robert C. Hood of Carthage, Missouri for $1.00 2011 January 18—Purchased by Bary Sima of Salome, Arizona for $1.00 (and love) 2014 Purchased by Paul Ehlen 2015 Restored by AirCorps Aviation, Bemidji, Minnesota First post restoration flight July 10 Restoration AirCorps Aviation, Bemidji, Minnesota Begun November 2014 Completed July 10, 2015 Awarded Best Stearman and Silver Wrench at Oshkosh July 24, 2015
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