usmc-sgt

Went to my airport to meet up with an instructor friend to do my spin endorsement in his C-170 and he had better plans. Hopped in his plane and did a quick 15 minute hop to a nearby airport with a few cross controlled stalls along the way for experience.

Landed at the airport and went to a hangar and opened it up to reveal a 1940 stearman N2S! He let me take the controls and we took off for some airwork. We ended up doing a few spins, some loops and wingovers as well as a few other various maneuvers. After the maneuvers came back to the pattern for 3 landings, 2 wheel and one 3 point for a total of 1.2 on the hobbs of PIC stearman time!

By far the greatest experience I have had flying yet and I will always be greatful for the oppurtunity. Very agile and I was suprised I was able to land it with my limited (40 hrs) of tailwheel time, but it was very gentle and had great control feel for a 67 year old plane.

The end of the month we have scheduled four flights for some upset recovery and aerobatics training. I will have to cancel the Citabria I already had scheduled.....darn

Pilotpip

I'm lucky enough to have a couple hours in a stearman and I agree with you totally. I doubt anything else I do in my flying career will top those couple hours. One of my favorite things was seeing the flames coming out the exhaust in the late afternoon light as we turned from downwind to base.

Radials rock!

usmc-sgt

It really was a good time, I havent stopped smiling since. I think for the hours I have and the short time I have been flying I have been very fortunate to come across some great people who have been willing to let me fly their unique airplanes. To date I have flown (only entering the ones that I feel are unique in a certain way)

J-3 Cub (2 models)
Cessna 195
Stearman N2S
Ercoupe

Going to fly
A friend of the families Temco Swift with stick conversion when I return to NH
T-6 Texan (same man who I flew the stearman with flies a T-6 and said he can arrange a flight)

vagabond

You are so lucky!! With biplanes, it was love at first sight, and I will never forget the flight I took in one out of BFI.

TankerBob

Congrats man, thats awesome! I am pretty jealous.

HSLD

Way to go Shawn! Thanks for the report and for sharing the photo - what a beautiful plane!

Ewfflyer

I'm jealous

A. Radial Power!
B. Bi-Plane!
C. Open Cockpit!

ToiletDuck

I wish I had my photos of the one I flew with our crop duster. He has a few but one has been restored with the militry covering and all. The most fun I've ever had at only 80kts! I personally liked having to wear the old leather covers with the mics built in. There is a guy in Louise Texas that builds them. It's all he does. If you really want one give a look on-line and give him a call. Names Robbie

aero550

That's awesome. I am fortunate enough to have gotten rides in a couple of Stearmans. One was a restored private airplane that the owner was giving rides in at a company picnic for a 135 company when I was just a puppy working lineservice.

The other was a Red Baron Pizza Stearman. They were working an airshow at our airport and were giving media rides. They were using our hangar as their temporary base. They had an empty seat on one of the flights and were offering the seat to airport employees and I happened to be standing in the right place at the right time. They did a couple of formation manuevers then broke off to do some solo aerobatics before rejoining for a formation flight back to the airport, where they did a military overhead break to landing. Great memories.

usmc-sgt

Im looking forward to the end of the month after my CFI ratings and I have some time to do some recreational flying. It will be fun to get a few more hours in the plane while I can and what better plane to do upset recovery in and light acro. I am going to try to get a half hour in the T-6 as well but that is $220/hr. I only pay $85/hr to rent the stearman.

I wish I were staying around just a bit longer because the same guy is ferrying this airplane to a new owner in OK and around the same time is flying to Canada to pick one up in a military paint scheme and fly it back to SoCal. Talk about some quality cross country time.