Boeing-Stearman Kaydet

Biplane Trainer / Aerobatic Aircraft [ 1941 ]

The Boeing-Stearman Kaydet trainer is now a much-loved collectors item for private aircraft owners.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/07/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

When The Boeing Company acquired the Stearman company in 1939, it also acquired the design and production rights to the promising Model 75 series, which itself was flown as the "X-70" as early as 1933. The two-seat biplane would evolved into a series of trainers under the PT-13, PT-15, PT-18 and PT-27 designations and serve through World War 2 and beyond, ultimately becoming a prize aircraft for any aviation aficionado.

The "Kaydet" was initially received by the United States Navy in the form of the Model 73 production series and designated as the NS-1 produced in no fewer than 61 delivered examples. The Model 75 was derived from this production model which was then accepted by the United States Army as the PT-13. These versions were fitted with a Lycoming R-680 engine of 215 horsepower output. 2,141 PT-13 examples were produced and this in five subvariants (PT-13 followed by A, B, C, and D models). Further development led to increasingly improved versions of the base Model 75 that featured a host of powerplant and instrument changes. Kaydets were now being produced on orders numbering thousands and included a slew of USN and US Army variants differing mainly in engine types installed.

Introduction of the Continental-brand R-670-5 series of engines led to a new designation as the PT-17 of which 3,519 were produced (across A- and B-model variants). Later models produced with a Jacobs R-755 powerplant were further designated as PT-18's and these numbered 150 units. The Boeing-Stearman design was also sold to Canada under Lend-Lease during World War 2 as the PT-27 (with enclosed cockpit) and numbered 300 examples delivered.

Total production of Model 75 was approximately 9,800 units.

The Canadian Lend-Lease Model 75s were called "Kaydet" and the name stuck over time, still being used today to identify the line. Kaydets managed to see considerable use after the war as well in the aerial acrobat role and crop dusting. Operators spanned the globe from Argentina and Bolivia to the Philippines and Venezuela (see operators listing below for complete global reach).

Taiwan (Republic of China) was another wartime Lend-Lease partner and recipient of the Kaydet.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1941

Origin

United States

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1 or 2

Production

9,800
UNITS

Boeing-Stearman - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Argentina; Bolivia; Brazil; Canada; China; Colombia; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Greece; Guatemala; Honduras; Iran; Israel; Mexico; Philippines; United States; Venezuela

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Training (General)
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).

Length

25.0 ft
(7.63 m)

Width/Span

32.2 ft
(9.80 m)

Height

9.2 ft
(2.79 m)

Empty Wgt

1,936 lb
(878 kg)

MTOW

2,716 lb
(1,232 kg)

Wgt Diff

+780 lb
(+354 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Boeing-Stearman PT-17A Kaydet production variant)

Installed: 1 x Continental R-670-5 Seven-cylinder radial developing 220 horsepower.

Max Speed

124 mph
(199 kph | 107 kts)

Ceiling

11,204 ft
(3,415 m | 2 mi)

Range

505 mi
(812 km | 1,504 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Boeing-Stearman PT-17A Kaydet production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

X-70 - Original Stearman Prototype Model

Model 75 - Stearman Developed X-70; Became Boeing product through acquisition of the Stearman company.

NS-1 - US Navy Designation of the Model 73 production models; 61 examples delivered.

PT-13 - US Army Model Designation fitted with Lycoming R-680-5 radial 215hp piston engine; 26 examples delivered.

PT-13A - Further development of the PT-13; fitted with R-680-7 engine of 220hp; 92 examples produced.

PT-13B - Fitted with R-680-11 powerplant; 255 examples delivered.

PT-13C - Night Flying Conversion Models; 6 examples produced in this fashion.

PT-13D - "Common" US Army and Navy Production Model.

PT-17 - Fitted with Continental R-670-5 radial; 3,510 produced.

PT-17A - "Blind Flying" Variant with specialized instrumentation; 18 such produced.

PT-17B - "Pest Control" Variant for crop dusting; 3 such produced.

N2S - US Navy Model Designation based on the Model 75.

N2S-1 - USN Model; fitted with R-670-14 engine; 250 models produced.

N2S-2 - USN Model; fitted with R-680-8 engine; 125 produced.

N2S-3 - USN Model; fitted with R-670-4 engine; 1,875 produced.

N2S-4 - USN Model; fitted with R-670-5 engine; 1,051 produced.

N2S-5 - USN Model; fitted with R-680-17 engine; 1,450 examples produced.

PT-18 - Variants fitted with Jacob R-755-7 radial powerplant.

PT-18A - "Blind Flying" PT-18 Model Variant

PT-27 - Canadian Export Model; 300 examples delivered; named "Kaydet" in Canada which today translates as the series name as a whole; Enclosed cockpit.

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

22

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 150mph

Lo: 75mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (124mph).

Graph average of 113 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Boeing-Stearman PT-17A Kaydet operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (9,800)

9800

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

>>

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.