Warbird Information Exchange

My Stearman story



Just bought this one 2 weeks ago. Interestingly enough it was owned by the same gentleman who owns the 6L a few posts back

[/quote]You know, this is a first for me......................"Thats the NICEST thing I have ever read about a Stearman" CONGRATS!!! Post a pic of "Dad's Stearman"[/quote]

On the other hand, if I didn't think I would've been struck by lightening, I was absolutely in love with an R-985 equipped N3N when I spent a few minutes in the cockpit. I thought "This thing is indestructible"

I'm used to posting pictures via a "browse" button on an attach function, how the heck do you insert an image using the "Img" button above?

Mike-

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[b][color=#0000BF]Silver Wings Flying Company,
Stewart Airport, NY (KSWF)

Is that a C3R Mike? What a beauty! I'm at the same airport as Tom Lowe with his square tail.

Part of my Stearman story is having the priviledge of flying in formation with Tom in his C3R or his N2S-3 for the last 8 years. What an incredible aviation event he and Jim Leahy created in Galesburg, IL. Should be on every enthusiast's bucket list.

Greg

My new Stearman is a C3B built in 1928.

I had a picture of this very airplane on my office wall for the last 4 years. I do that in order to remember why I go to work every day. Anyway that picture was removed the day after I bought the airplane.

Tom is one of the nicest people in aviation and he has spent a lot of time over the years giving me advice on C3's. The C3B I just bought was at Galesburg and it won 2 awards, which the old owner graciously let me have with the airplane. He also promised me some stick time in his Cloudboy, which is the black one in previous posts.

Next a picture of a C-165 Airmaster is going on the wall, or maybe a Curtis Robin or even a P-40, but that one may take a bit longer to save for.

Mgeorge,

Saw your C3B at Galesburg this year, Rich did a masterful job of showing it off. Congratulations!

Mike-

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[b][color=#0000BF]Silver Wings Flying Company,
Stewart Airport, NY (KSWF)

mgeorge51-

I'm curious about how those older Stearman's fly compared to the PT-17 series.... I've never flown one... would love to though. The gear is different, the wing size and stagger (and I'm sure the incidence between them), the vertical and actually the horizontal looks substantially the same.... inquiring minds want to know.... please?

gunny

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Scott 'Gunny' Perdue
www.scottperdue.com

Sorry I can't answer the flying question, the delivery pilot was going to give me a proper check out. But by the time we got back from lunch it had started to rain.
I always insure my aircraft during the first year I own them and they require full payment up front. So add that to the annual running out November 1rst I will have to wait until next spring to find out myself. I thought a lot about just taking it up without any insurance or check out but I decided against it.

So I will know myself in the spring.

Better to not take a chance..... sure would like to know though. I'm sure you'll have fun!

gunny

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Scott 'Gunny' Perdue
www.scottperdue.com

I worked on the beginning of a Stearman resto at VNY about 20 years ago, often wondered what happened to it. It was owned by (then) Lt Col Dan Spurlock USMC. He always said he was going to paint it Blue Angels colors.. but with the blue/yellow reversed to to upset USN aviators... No idea of the serial/N # etc..

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

I have several. IN 1970 my dad and I flew over to the just de-commissioned Sewart Air Force Base in Smyrna , Tennessee. An offiice trailer had been set up by an old C-119 hangar, and a flight school was started with aircraft for sale in the hangar. We went to see Col. James Haun, and while waiting we went out to look at the inventory.
There were two shiny Globe Swifts, a Pt-19, a couple of AIr and SPace 10A autogiros, and in the corner a bright red Stearman owned by singer Roy CLark and songwriter Red Lane. Wow! it seemed huge. It was the belle of the ball. In the back room there was sitting upright, a Stearman fuselage, bare bones. The pilot, a crop duster, had rolled it into a ball upon landing on the hard surface. They had sold all the parts off of it. I had never heard of, or thought of an aircraft crashing or being torn up. They said every duster pilot had a story of wrecking a Stearman. Didn't know that could happen!

If you ever get the chance read "Border Pilot" by M.W Bourne. It's a great story about a young kid cutting his teth flying Stearmans and Travelair's on the TX and AZ borders dusting. he and his co-workers wreck plenty of them. http://www.borderpilot.com/

Mike-

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[b][color=#0000BF]Silver Wings Flying Company,
Stewart Airport, NY (KSWF)