@ Lancaster, TX
May 2015
This Stearman taxies back to the hangar in the fading light. Widely known as the Stearman, Boeing Stearman or Kaydet, it served as a primary trainer for the US military throughout World War II. The PT-17 was deliberately basic, with no flaps, retractable landing gear, or a variable-pitch propeller to overload student pilots with complex systems. First flown in 1934, over 10,000 were produced and many of those ended up in civilian hands after the war. The aircraft was originally designed by the Stearman Aircraft Company in 1933. Boeing later acquired Stearman in 1934, and all subsequent models, including the PT-17, were built by the Stearman Division of Boeing.
