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 Stearman PT-13A Kaydet (A75) - Seattle, WA
N 47° 31.059 W 122° 17.808
10T E 552942 N 5262930
One of many static aircraft displays located at the Museum of Flight at King County International Airport. Admission fees apply.
Waymark Code: WMVGR9
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 04/17/2017
Views: 6
Located at the Museum of Flight are a large number of static aircraft on display. One of them is a Stearman PT-13A Kaydet. The Museum of Flight website contains a page devoted to this aircraft and it reads:
The Stearman "Kaydet," originally designed for civilian aviation, was adopted by the U.S. Army and Navy as a primary trainer from 1936 to 1945. Known as "Stearmans," they were actually built by Boeing who, in 1934, had acquired the Stearman Aircraft Company. The design was practically considered an antique when introduced, but the biplanes were rugged, maneuverable, and ideal for the rigors of military flight training. Most Stearmans survived the war and many became prized as crop dusters and airshow performers.
The Museum's "Kaydet" was manufactured as an Army PT-13A, but was restored with the Continental R-670 engine used in the PT-17 model. Built in 1937, it was the 55th of over 8,585 "Kaydets" produced.
A nearby placard highlights this Stearman PT-13A Kaydet in more detail and reads:
Primary Flight Training
A prospective pilot went through a ground school before ever nearing a plane.
In classes, they were taught airplane nomenclature and the fundamentals of flying. Soon, a trainee began flights in a Kaydet with an instructor in the front cockpit. Students practiced level flight and basic turns, and then takeoffs and landings.
When the trainees had received around 8 hours of instruction,
they made their first solo flight, and they mastered the more complicated spins, stalls, loops, and rolls. A student graduated from primary flight training with about 65 hours of flight time amassed over about 9 weeks of training.
Classrooms in the Sky
A generation of young American military aviators started their flight training in Kaydets before flying the powerful Army and Navy fighters, bombers, and transports of World War II. Navy men nicknamed their trainers "Yellow Perils" because of their all-yellow paint schemes--a warning to those flying near swarms of inexperienced student pilots in the little biplanes. Plus, when one went down in the brush near a training field, the brightly-colored aircraft were easy to spot. Most American pilots from the World War II era took their first solo flights in versions of Stearman's forgiving Kaydets.
Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Stearman PT-13A Kaydet (A75)
Tail Number: (S/N): 75-055; Registration No. N8FL
Construction:: original aircraft
Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Museum of Flight
inside / outside: inside
Other Information:: Not listed
Access restrictions: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)
Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.
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