How hard is it to fly a plane like this?

This airplane isn't hard to fly. It is a well balanced, smooth, and gives the impression that it wants to fly as much as you do. However, anyone who is not a well trained tailwheel pilot will have their hands full on the ground because of the narrow landing gear and the weight of the upper wing. It's a beautiful flying airplane and I had many enjoyable hours in it but it requires your full attention and fully awake feet when are landing it, especially in a cross wind. Any tendency to deviate from the target picked ahead requires quick and adequate correction. It is designed to take 13G positive and negative so you don't have to worry about bending anything if you are trying some maneuvers. My favorite airplane!

 

Fun plane. The Stearman used in the TV show J.A.G. was owned by my friend Gabe Lopez who owned the flight school at El Monte airport where I learned to fly. He had just bought the Stearman when I started and was able to restore it soon after. He then later rented it out to to the TV show.

https://flightlinesnewspaper.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/jags-steerman-at-el-monte/

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Before I got checked out in the Stearman PT13 / PT17 I had already been throughly trained in the use of rudder in tail dragger operation. It wasn't on the ground but in the form of rudder exercise stalls ad nauseam until I could walk the airplane straight ahead in a near stall and keep the nose on target ahead when it did stall. It continued in my instruction in the Stearman long before I did any ground work in it. I used to play around with it for fun after a while. Any lag in correction precipitated a spin, especially when the stick was all the way back. So, if you are going to fly a Stearman or any other tail dragger, get some rudder exercise stalls under your belt.

 

I've had a pleasure to ride in couple of (early thirties ?) Stearman's, once with my best friend and I in the front while the pilot entertained us with couple of loops followed by (what felt like) vertical dive.
Since there are several in this area, I see one or more flying above my shop at least two-three times a week.

 

The Stearman was a primary trainer in WWII, wasn't it? Or did they start in Cubs and then move into Stearmans?

A friend of mine owns one, and his son has been learning to fly in it. For my kids, I had them start in a 150 and then do tailwheel transition-- daughter (age 19) finished her tailwheel signoff this summer. Of course, that was in a Citabria, which is easier than a Stearman, but probably not all that much.

 

Don, the PT13, 17, 19, 22, 26, and 23 were primary trainers on which the cadets started in WW2. later on they started an introduction in Cubs ( L-4). The Citabria is a lot easier than a Stearman. I flew all of the PT's, some Stearmans with 345 Lycoming, one (air time) with 450 P&W , and the original Stearman with a 200HP Cont. or Lyc. was always the most pleasant. The photo posted of the Navy N2Sin flight is not original since it has a larger engine than what it was born with.

 

I got triggered again to think about Stearmans and one incident will always stick with me. A very nice guy whom I will call JH did a wing walking routine in a beautiful Super Stearman with a P&W R1340 on it. We watched as he started his take off for his routine hen he abruptly cut power and aborted. he parked near us and after our inquiry he said that he got fuel spraying into his face from the glass sight gage. Sure enough it was cracked and leaking. I figured out how to fix it and after the show was concluded for the day we pulled the airplane to the ramp in front of a big spraying company based on the field . I figured what size tool and plug we needed to replace the gage. I still wonder what the hell was in my head but I figured that I could do it in spite of 50 gallons of 110 in the wing tank. I got the gage off and quickly got the plug engaged with a loss of maybe a pint of fuel, most of it running down my arm and into my armpit and waist. I didn't think much about it at the time but it yanks hard on that pucker string when I think about it now. The static wires were in full contact with Mother Earthing and all I had on was a tee shirt and jeans so there was little chance of static jumping around on me but.... JH came back the next year and he took me over to his airplane, opened the baggage locker, and there wrapped in a bright red velvet cloth was a new spare gage, the plug, and the proper wrench. His wing walker, GM, was killed while on the top wing the next year at Reno when JH got caught in a down draft and hit the runway inverted. The fin and rudder were damaged but he managed to keep it flying and climbed away some how with the wing walker still attached to the rig. Air shows are inherently dangerous and exact a hefty tribute. Over the ten years that I messed around with the game, my wife and I counted 33 guys who paid it. Still great fun to do it, though.

 

I will gladly help fly with you in or around the area + pay for fuel .

VFR license and taildragger time.

 

l've always wanted one. It'll need to be kept inside.

There's somebody around that will give you a ride in one. Find them.

 

I agree. I don't want to sound like I'm some kind expert, I'm not. I simply had the opportunity to fly as many things that I could because I was at the right place at the right time. I flew a lot of stuff, no matter how brief for some lasted only 20 or 30 minutes but I got to experience them. I flew the Waco 10 CSO, Waco UPF7, Student Prince, CW/Travel Air, Bird, Travel Air "Elephant Ear", and all of the PT's. For me, the two best biplanes were the PT13 / 17 and the CW Travel Air. The best single wing was the PT-23. All the rest were unremarkable. Just my impressions.

 

funny that you say that I live near an aviation museum and I have had the opportunity to ride (as passenger) in one of these took off on a grass runway flew around about 15 minutes or so very cool from my standpoint as a passenger..

 

Best advice is to stay away from BaT

Too much unusual nice crap, to browse.


I asked my 21 y/o daughter if she would take a used rust-free Japanese model G Wagon. Hell yeah and thanks Dad. It's a RHD model. She said NO WAY. She refused.