Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet
Following their widespread use as primary trainers during World War II, many Stearman N2S biplanes were purchased by private owners for use as crop dusters. In 1990, with President George Herbert Walker Bush in office, various parties initiated a search to locate any crop dusters still in existence that in their previous military service may have been flown by the Commander in Chief during his time as an aviation cadet and naval aviator. Cross-checking the President's log book entries with the records of various federal agencies revealed that five N2S-3 aircraft flown by Bush at Naval Air Station (NAS) Minneapolis, Minnesota still existed in private hands. Among them was the aircraft owned by former World War II and Korean War pilot and retired TWA Captain Jack Parker of Essex, Connecticut. His aircraft logged two flights with the Aviation Cadet George H.W. Bush at the controls in January 1943 and finished the war with 2,860 flight hours on the airframe. After the war, it operated with Terry's Aircraft Sales and Surplus and after purchase by Parker, towed banners and flew at warbird gatherings.
Acquired by the museum from Parker in 1992, the aircraft was painted in standard wartime Navy markings (Parker has operated it in Army Air Forces livery) and is currently in indoor static display.
Notes It was perhaps the most produced biplane in all of aviation history with 10,346 examples rolling off the production line of the Stearman Aircraft Company between 1934 and 1945. And though the company christened the trainer with the name "Kaydet," those who flew and maintained it universally called it the Stearman. Initially designed as an entry into a procurement contest for a new Army Air Corps trainer, the Stearman served extensively in the Navy as well, with the sea service accepting the first of 4,318 examples of the biplane in the late-1930s. The earliest version was called the NS by the Navy, with later versions designated N2S. By the time of World War II, both Army and Navy operated standardized versions of the aircraft with interchangeable parts, unique in an era in which joint operations was not standard. No matter the uniform they wore, those associated with the Stearman respected it for its ruggedness, ease of maintenance, low operational costs, and flight characteristics. Challenging to an inexperienced pilot was its tendency to ground-loop in crosswind landings.
The N2S-3 on display was flown twice by President George H.W. Bush on solo flights during his training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was acquired after serving as a crop duster. Another N2S-5 in the museum collection was donated by Apollo Astronaut Eugene Cernan and is on display at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field, Florida.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Stearman Aircraft Company
Dimensions: Length: 25 ft., 4 in.; Height: 9 ft., 2 in.; Wingspan: 32 ft., 2 in.
Weights: Empty: 1,940 lb.; Gross: 2,717 lb.
Power Plant: One 220 horsepower Continental R-670-4 engine
Performance: Maximum Speed: 124 M.P.H.; Service Ceiling: 11,200 ft.; Range: 505 miles
Armament: None
Crew: Instructor and student
Stearman N2S-3 Kaydet
Following their widespread use as primary trainers during World War II, many Stearman N2S biplanes were purchased by private owners for use as crop dusters. In 1990, with President George Herbert Walker Bush in office, various parties initiated a search to locate any crop dusters still in existence that in their previous military service may have been flown by the Commander in Chief during his time as an aviation cadet and naval aviator. Cross-checking the President's log book entries with the records of various federal agencies revealed that five N2S-3 aircraft flown by Bush at Naval Air Station (NAS) Minneapolis, Minnesota still existed in private hands. Among them was the aircraft owned by former World War II and Korean War pilot and retired TWA Captain Jack Parker of Essex, Connecticut. His aircraft logged two flights with the Aviation Cadet George H.W. Bush at the controls in January 1943 and finished the war with 2,860 flight hours on the airframe. After the war, it operated with Terry's Aircraft Sales and Surplus and after purchase by Parker, towed banners and flew at warbird gatherings.
Acquired by the museum from Parker in 1992, the aircraft was painted in standard wartime Navy markings (Parker has operated it in Army Air Forces livery) and is currently in indoor static display.
Notes It was perhaps the most produced biplane in all of aviation history with 10,346 examples rolling off the production line of the Stearman Aircraft Company between 1934 and 1945. And though the company christened the trainer with the name "Kaydet," those who flew and maintained it universally called it the Stearman. Initially designed as an entry into a procurement contest for a new Army Air Corps trainer, the Stearman served extensively in the Navy as well, with the sea service accepting the first of 4,318 examples of the biplane in the late-1930s. The earliest version was called the NS by the Navy, with later versions designated N2S. By the time of World War II, both Army and Navy operated standardized versions of the aircraft with interchangeable parts, unique in an era in which joint operations was not standard. No matter the uniform they wore, those associated with the Stearman respected it for its ruggedness, ease of maintenance, low operational costs, and flight characteristics. Challenging to an inexperienced pilot was its tendency to ground-loop in crosswind landings.
The N2S-3 on display was flown twice by President George H.W. Bush on solo flights during his training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was acquired after serving as a crop duster. Another N2S-5 in the museum collection was donated by Apollo Astronaut Eugene Cernan and is on display at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field, Florida.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Stearman Aircraft Company
Dimensions: Length: 25 ft., 4 in.; Height: 9 ft., 2 in.; Wingspan: 32 ft., 2 in.
Weights: Empty: 1,940 lb.; Gross: 2,717 lb.
Power Plant: One 220 horsepower Continental R-670-4 engine
Performance: Maximum Speed: 124 M.P.H.; Service Ceiling: 11,200 ft.; Range: 505 miles
Armament: None
Crew: Instructor and student