The -450s have 4 Ailerons and more mass. They are a %#$@# cat.

I bought my Stearman last winter. It was restored by the previous owner in 2015 so I haven't needed to do much. So far the only change I've made is to swap out the generator for an alternator. My plane is actually a PT27 meaning it originally went to Canada in 1942. It's been a very easy plane to own. So far, other than the alternator, it's been gas, oil and go. As others have said, it's a very simple airframe.

I have the Continental W670 and the McCauley prop which is a nice combination. I've flown one with the 300HP Lycoming and a constant speed prop. It's definitely a better setup but since I only fly locally on nice days, it really doesn't matter.

Landings are a challenge particularly on pavement with a crosswind. There's a lot of opinions about the best way to handle them. My advice - avoid them. Still, they're are a lot of fun. I took my 88 year old dad up last week. Who wouldn't want to get a ride in a Stearman?

The -450s have 4 Ailerons and more mass. They are a %#$@# cat.

My home base airport of KADS frowns on people landing in the grass. No sense of humor at all. Plenty of turf in the area though.

I just hate it when those dang landing lights get in the way!!!

P&W 985 450hp
I have my sights set on one with the big motor. Any wisdom out there on the big Pratt regarding ADs or that odd part that ejects itself after 10hrs if not tightened?

Covington did the OH and the engine has had a recent top, probably due to under utilization.

985s are great engines, probably the most reliable radials ever built, and currently, they are probably the cheapest HP out there. When it comes to working on 985s, Covington is the best.

Barry,

having been involved years ago in the restoration of a very nice 450 Stearman may chime in with some thoughts…

The P&W 985 as has been said before is a very reliable engine..however the most reocurring failure modes of that motor may be cylinder head separation..not much one can do about it except following the maintenance manual and corresponding ADs very carefully and maybe, that is my impression on the flying side avoid shock cooling of the engine during descent at all costs..

in general in regards to the 450 Stearmans I would carefully check the logs to see under which title and by what means the aircraft had been upgraded to a standard airworthiness cert from the original restricted ag cert..purpose built and restored 450 Stearmans usually had the Serv Aero Engineering STC (Salinas ,CA) implemented for that purpose but there have been other routes as well, but sometimes a tad questionable..

Air Repair have sold their very successful Stearman program to Rare Aircraft, who should continue to provide excellent aircraft and parts support…

http://rareaircraft.com/remanufacture/restoration/rare-air-legend-stearman/

One thing with past experience that I would like to make you aware of is the following…:

A 450 Stearman is a very heavy aircraft…and once you have gas for an hour worth of fun flying it usually becomes a single seat aircraft…because of the max take-off weight..

the only take-off weight increase STC that I know of was one that the Red Baron team developed for their fleet but never made available to the general Stearman owner group..

In hindsight I would say nowadays that quite probably for general fun taildragger flying a stock Stearman ( Conti powered, or Lyc or Jacobs powered) probably makes more sense…and definitely in regards to upkeep on the maintenance side may be cheaper to own..

so I guess the decision to go for a 450 depends on what you plan to do with it flying wise…

"hard aerobatics" generally are not such a good idea, because due to the weight of the aircraft they usually require some very detailed and time consuming readjustments of the flying wires of the wings on a regular basis…a smooth roll from time to time will not shake things up, but real acro I think should be avoided…for these reasons..smooth also being a main point for the engine…that 985's crankshaft does not take it too kindly at times, with those heavy Ham Std propellers installed with aprupt loading and unloading…so in my mind a 450 Stearman is a very special animal…..

so having said that I would also carefully look at straight Conti powered birds…they deliver the essence of Stearman flying as well ,if not better than a 450 usually…


Gerd

P.S.: You will find a lot of very useful information here:http://www.stearman.net

Hope that my post on the 450 Stearman is not misunderstood as being overly critical on the 450's…I have very limited experience flying the Stearman, I know two 450's here pretty well ( the one I helped to build) and another one, then a Lyc power very nice one and a stock Conti model..

I have rechecked some personal notes..and what it comes down to…the 450 Stearman, if well and expertly built is a fine, but very spezialised airplane…built for a purpose…usually airshow work.( and the 450 Stearman's roots is "duster and sprayer work..).and that is fine…but having said that it is a special one seater for obvious weight reasons…and while it is certainly true that the 4 aileron mod improves roll a lot, it does not come free…with the 4 ailerons in my opinion the wings "work a bit differently" both structurally and aerodynamically..which makes rigging and periodic readjustments on the wings quite a bit more work than on a standard Stearman..you also feel a lot more "reverse feedback" when flying in turbulence..(450 4 aileron Stearmans tend to shake a bit like wet dogs when in turbulence…due to those wings "working" a bit against each other with dynamic changes in angle of attacs…that may be a downside of the 4 aileron mod..)

what it comes down to though IMHO, a 450 because of all the required mods ( oil tank locations) maybe even the versions with dual pressure carbs etc etc is a LOT more complex to maintain and also to operate ..and while it may be fun in the beginning maybe not as suitable all around as a "personal" biplane..that added complexity of the 450's may take the fun part away after a while…

just a very personal observation…

If I had the money I'd go for a nice Conti powered stock " no hassles" Stearman…if one needs more power the Jacobs STC'ed ones seem to be nice too..I understand that Pete Jones made the Jacobs STC upgrade also primarily for Lyc powered Stearman owners, as I understand the old Lycoming radials may be a bit difficult to support because of lack of parts…

And Pete Jones' Air Repair being the TC holder for both the Continental 670 and the Jacobs seem to be doing excellent engine work and support…guess he did a lot more to modernize these two engine models and bring them up to date than what you find with the old PW 985s..( as nice as the Junior Wasps are..)

and for all it's worth, while they may not be tigers I'd personally prefer a simple one without constant speed prop…just a fine wooden prop for lazy Sunday afternoon flying would do for me…(because it is a fact due to a lot of old experienced folks having closed shop or been retired it has become more and more difficult to find a prop shop that really is competent with those old Hamilton Standard props..)

again these are some very personal observations...

"Wood props are for fireplaces... Hanging them over, or burning them in...."

I would strongly encourage against a wood prop Stearman unless you live below sea level where it never gets above 60 degrees....

"Wood props are for fireplaces... Hanging them over, or burning them in...."

I would strongly encourage against a wood prop Stearman unless you live below sea level where it never gets above 60 degrees....