Stearman Model 75

Built as a private venture by the Stearman Aircraft Company in 1934, the Model 75 was adopted by the U.S. Navy as a trainer plane in 1935. The U.S. Army followed suit the following year, buying 26 planes. In 1940, with war on the horizon, this number jumped to 3,519.

It was also purchased by Canada through the Lend-Lease program. They began calling it the Kaydet, and although unofficial, the nickname stuck. In addition, the Model 75 was exported to Venezuela and various other foreign countries.

Stearman was purchased by Boeing in 1938, and as such the military recognizes the plane as the Boeing Model 75; to pilots, however, the plane remained a "Stearman," and still often referred to in this way. Many pilots also called it the "Yellow Peril," a moniker which probably reflected the aptitude of the pilots in training more than the worthiness of the airframe.

The plane uses 8.25 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage. A full load of fuel costs $9.20.

Boeing/Stearman Model 75 (PT-17 "Kaydet")

Subassemblies: Recon Fighter chassis +2; Recon Fighter wings with Biplane option +2; 2 fixed wheels +0.

Powertrain: 165-kW HP gasoline engine with 165-kW old prop and 46-gallon fuel tank [Body].

Occ.: 2 XCS Body

Cargo: 60 lbs.

Armor F RL B T U

Body: 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C

Wings: 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C 1/2C

Wheels: 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3

Equipment:

Body: Backup driver option.

Statistics:

Size: 25'x32'x9' Payload: 0.39 tons Lwt.: 1.36 tons

Volume: 96 Maint.: 96 hours Cost: $4,310

HT: 7. HPs: 30 Body, 100 each Wing, 6 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 124 aAccel: 3 aDecel: 27 aMR: 6.5 aSR: 1

Stall Speed: 42 mph. Take Off Run: 200 yards. Landing Run: 166 yards.

gSpeed: 176 gAccel: 9 gDecel: 10 gMR: 1.25 gSR: 2

Ground Pressure: Very High. 1/8 Off-Road Speed.

Design Notes:

Historical wing area was 297 sf. The weight, cost and HPs of the chassis and wings were doubled to increase design loaded weight; it was increased 5% more to the historical. Design aSpeed was 117 mph. Historical values were used for all calculations when available. A 45-gallon fuel tank (1.5 "units") was purchased for the design; the historical 46-gallon capacity is shown. Take Off and Landing Runs are real-world values, as is cargo capacity.

Variants:

The numerous variants of the Model 75 exist only as variations of the engine installed, by manufacturer. Army designations have included PT-13, PT-17 and PT-18; Navy designations included N2S-1 through -4. All are, in truth, the same plane.

From the Aerodrome for GURPS