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Kevin Maher (sometimes pilot of 1954 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk. I, c/n 713, C-GHPG, Metasoft Systems Inc.) invited me into his hangar to see his pride and joy, the third oldest of this model in existence: 1936 Stearman PT-13 Kaydet (Model 75), c/n 75-003, N68492 in a private hangar at Duncan Airport (DUQ/CAM3), Duncan, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 14:02 PDT.
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1936 Stearman PT-13 Kaydet (Model 75), c/n 75-003, N68492 (CF-KTE reserved), Kevin Maher, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada, based at Duncan Airport (DUQ/CAM3), Duncan, Vancouver Island, B.C.
- powered by one 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B Wasp Junior supercharged nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial piston engine with constant-speed two-blade Hamilton Standard propeller and propeller spinner
- tandem instructor and student, military biplane primary trainer for USAAC
- biplane, positive stagger wings; outboard aileron on each lower wing; no flaps
- open cockpits, windscreen for front cockpit, windscreen for rear cockpit, baggage compartment behind rear seat
- fixed conventional landing gear with steerable tailwheel
History:
- built by Stearman Aircraft Division, The Boeing Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas, USA at Stearman Plant, Wichita Municipal Airport, Wichita, Kansas (BW)
- Stearman Aircraft Company purchased by The Boeing Aircraft Company in September 1934
- Stearman Aircraft Division renamed as Wichita Division in 1939
- built as PT-13, powered by one 225-hp Lycoming R-680-B4B nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial piston engine with fixed-pitch two-blade Sensenich wood propeller
- third in Model 75’s initial production run of 26 (order no. 36-026: c/n 75-001 to c/n 75-026, s/n 36-2 to s/n 36-27) !
- the third oldest Model 75 in existence
- the oldest is c/n 75-001, s/n 36-2, N75001, William B. Field Trustee, Pleasanton, California, USA in a private collection at Bud Field Aviation, Hayward Executive Airport (HWD/KHWD), Hayward, California, USA (certificate of airworthiness issued on April 18, 1974 and expired on June 30, 2013)
- the second oldest is c/n 75-002, s/n 36-3, N4900V, Jack Ellis, El Centro, California, USA (cancelled on August 8, 2012)
- all initial Model 75 manufacturer plates had no mention of “Boeing” printed on them as well as some, if not all, of the PT-13As
- PT-13 had the vertical format plate riveted to the rear instrument panel base on the starboard side, PT-13 had unique instrument panels, the floating portions of the panels were different shaped from all the other aircraft and had different shock mount locations than the rest of the aircraft; they aren’t interchangeable
- delivered as s/n 36-4 to USAAC on October 26, 1936
- ferried by Deed Levy to Parks Air College, Parks College Airfield, Cahokia, Illinois, USA in late October 1936
- to Air Corps Training Center, USAAC
- based at Randolph Field, Bexar County, near San Antonio,Texas, USA
- markings in yellow on fuselage & in black on lower wings; coded 502 on forward fuselage and on rear fuselage; titled ARMY on lower surface on lower port wing and U.S. on lower surface on lower starboard wing; USAAC roundel (August 1919–May 1942) on upper surfaces on each upper wing and on lower surfaces on each lower wing; overall gloss light blue (23) finish with gloss yellow (4) on upper and lower surfaces on each wing, horizontal stabilizer, & vertical stabilizer, gloss light blue (23) wheel covers, wing struts, & landing gear legs, and dark blue vertical band at rudder hinge with thirteen alternating red & white horizontal tail stripes on rudder; in USAAC colour scheme (pre-1939)
- fixed conventional landing gear with steerable tailwheel
- assigned to 46th School Squadron, redesignated as 46th Basic Flying Training Squadron; 47th School Squadron, redesignated as 47th Basic Flying Training Squadron; 52nd School Squadron, redesignated as 52nd Basic Flying Training Squadron; or 53rd School Squadron, redesignated as 53rd Basic Flying Training Squadron; all redesignated on September 1, 1940
- Air Corps Training Center, USAAC redesignated as Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center, USAAC on August 22, 1940
- Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center, USAAF redesignated as Gulf Coast Training Center, USAAF on March 15, 1942
- assigned to Air Corps Flying Training Command, USAAF on January 23, 1942
- assigned to Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, USAAF on March 15, 1942
- PT-13, PT-13A, and PT-13B redesignated as PT-13 Kaydet, PT-13A Kaydet, and PT-13B Kaydet in 1941
- USAAC (United States Army Air Corps) became the USAAF (United States Army Air Force) on June 20, 1941
- served there until accident in 1943 when flipped over on landing
- after a rebuild six months later, sent to Ontario AAF (Army Airfield), Ontario, California, USA
- USAAF surplus in 1946 with tt 3,000 airframe hours
- sold to Agair Inc. at Eagle Field, Dos Palos, California, USA
- converted to American Airmotive NA-75, agricultural sprayer, single-seat open cockpit with front seat replaced by chemical hopper, unequal-span positive staggered high-lift wings with outboard ailerons on upper and lower wings, spray bars on wing trailing edges, metal fuselage, and a 55 US-gallon fuel tank, either remanufactured by or converted via a conversion kit sold by National Aircraft Division, American Airmotive Corporation, Miami, Florida, USA sometime after 1956
- N68492, “10”, Agair Inc., Dos Palos, California, USA
- based at Eagle Field, Fresno County, near Dos Palos, California
- the 225-hp Lycoming R-680-B4B was replaced with a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B Wasp Junior, then a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp SC, and finally back to a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B Wasp Junior
- its working days ended in 1987 with tt 8,500 hours, finally being replaced by an Air Tractor AT-301
- N68492, William L. Young, Temple City, California, USA on January 12, 1990 and cancelled on February 24, 1993
- purchased by Kevin Maher in 1994
- imported in 1994
- long, slow restoration process with many life-driven interruptions but Kevin Maher hopes to return the Stearman to the skies within a few years
- he says it has been a wonderful life-altering experience restoring it
- the predecessor to his employer Air Canada, Trans-Canada Air Lines (Trans-Canada Air Lines Ltd.), Montréal, Québec, Canada, operated one Stearman: 1930 Stearman 4-EM Senior Speedmail, c/n 4010, CF-ASF, “20”, previously owned and operated by Canadian Airways
- Canadian Airways (Canadian Airways Limited), Montréal, Québec, Canada operated four Stearmans: 1930 Stearman 4-EM Senior Speedmail, c/n 4016, CF-AMB; 1930 Stearman 4-EM Senior Speedmail, c/n 4017, CF-AMC; 1932 Stearman 4-EM Senior Speedmail, c/n 4028, CF-ASE; and CF-ASF on its airmail routes in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Québec in the early 1930s
- he was hoping to secure the registration marks from one of those aircraft, but, unable to do so, s/n 75-003 will fly again as CF-KTE (Kevin, wife Tracy, and son Evan; or KiTE for short)
- N68492 (CF-KTE reserved), Kevin Maher, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada in 1994
- based at Duncan Airport (DUQ/CAM3), Duncan, Vancouver Island, B.C.
- Kevin Maher pilots Boeing 777s for Air Canada
- currently undergoing long, thorough, detailed, complete restoration
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At 14:04 PDT.
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At 14:13 PDT.
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At 14:36 PDT.
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[2010 Nikon D3100 14.2 megapixel DX-format DSLR Nikon F-mount camera, s/n 5119118; Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens, s/n 53867376, with 52mm UV(C) filter]
© Copyright photographs by Stephan Alexander Scharnberg, June 2013
