Air Power Series>1:48 die-cast display model>Stearman PT-17>HA8102

General Background

The Stearman Aircraft Company produced a bi-plane trainer-aircraft called the Model 70. In 1935 the USN ordered the Model 70 with a Wright J-5 Whirlwind engine designated the NS-1. Boeing Aircraft Company bought Stearman and gave the Model 70 a Lycoming R-680-5 radial engine making it a Model 75. In 1936 the U.S. Army Air Corps placed an order for the Model 75 and designated it PT-13. With a Continental R-670-5 engine it became the PT-17. The RCAF labeled it PT-27 Kaydet with Kaydet becoming the universally accepted name.

The Aircraft

It was determined that there was a lack of training facilities for naval pilots so on March12, 1941 NAS Corpus Christi, Texas was commissioned with training starting on May 5, 1941. In the first year of operation 800 instructors trained 300 students per month and by December 7, 1941 this rate had doubled. When WWII had ended more than 35,000 naval pilots received their wings. In June of 1943 course 3 graduated including former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, the youngest pilot to ever graduate from Corpus Christi.

Specifications :

Crew:	2 x Student Pilot and Instructor
PT-17 Produced:	3,500 +
Number of all variants produced:	10,000 +
Performance	1 x Continental R-670-5 7 cylinder radial engine producing 220 hp
Maximum Speed:	124 mph
Climb Rate:	840 ft/min
Service Ceiling:	11,200 ft
Range:	505 miles
Dimensions
Length:	24 ft 3 in
Wingspan:	32 ft 2 in
Height:	9 ft 2 in
Weights:
Empty:	1,936 lbs
Maxium Takeoff:	2,717 lbs