Would you ever buy (or do you have) a Stearman or something similar, such as an N3N?

Since a P51 seems out of the question, I'm thinking about a midlife crisis ride.

A hangar neighbor had one. Put on his flying suit every time he went. Can't see forward on the ground or in the air. Horrendously noisy and you burn a lot of gas to go 80 MPH. He never left the pattern.

There is a very nice Great Lakes biplane in Janesville...

Start out with Citabria or Decathlon and go from there. Easy to fly, easy to maintain, easy to buy and sell.

I enjoyed mine for a couple of years. It's like having a vintage Harley....super cool, sounds great, leaks a lot, and takes plenty of maintenance as compared to flying hours. If you want one, go ahead and get one to scratch that itch. Be wary of one that needs fabric or wood work as the labor for either one adds up very quickly. Lots of good reading at the Stearman Restorers Association (www.stearman.net)

Seems simple to me.

If you want one, and you can afford one, get one.

You only get one turn on this ride

Robert

Paging Gunny Perdue. Gunny, please pick up the white courtesy phone.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Gry46_rgWUI[/youtube]

Thanks Tom.... The Stearman is just plain unabashed fun... stick and rudder, wind in the face, you a part of the air you fly in, hear it, feel it, smell it, rejoice in it. If you do something right it lets you know right then, if you do something wrong it will tell you... the most rewarding airplane I can imagine. Try one.

By the way if it is properly setup and treated it is not a maintenance hog... it is amazing! And there is nothing wrong with never leaving the pattern.... but a spin or a roll every now and again can be liberating!

gunny

By the way.. a full disclosure, Tom did a segment on 476 for the first episode of Wings to Adventure.... and that footage lives on! I wish you were still doing the show!

gunny

Robert,

I love biplanes! The Boeing is a classic aircraft and not expensive to either acquire or own (relatively speaking). There are things to look out for and you should do your homework.

If it's to be your first biplane the Boeing offers the advantage in being numerous, well known and thus easier to part with than some others. But it may not be the best choice for a new biplane pilot.

They sit on tall narrow gear. Thus they are easier to ground loop and harder to land well than other choices. The Waco in contrast has lower, wider gear and is much easier to handle in the air to ground transition. Having said that the Boeing was a trainer and if you learn to fly one you will fly well.

I think the Great Lakes is a great looking aircraft and is supposed to pretty easy to fly. Maybe Brent will chime in. No round motor though. There are factory built and home built versions out there.

If you don't object to a home built airplane there are lots of choices. A great one for easy to fly would be a Hatz.

Don't be afraid to make a biplane your first tail wheel. They aren't hard to fly, the visual issues resolve themselves in your first flight and the experience beats hell out of a Citabria. Just get good transition training.

To answer your question I owned a Waco Classic YMF 5 so yes I would! I sold it this summer and am casually looking for another one.

Love Wacos. Brilliant plane. I remember a company in MN that restores them better than new. Pricy tho.

Love Wacos. Brilliant plane. I remember a company in MN that restores them better than new. Pricy tho.

I have a Stearman and agree with everything Mr. Gunny Perdue said. If you want to really fly one you pretty much have to buy one. I enjoy my Baron but love flying the Stearman.
The Stearman will teach you a lot about flying, yourself, respect for that era and also put a permanent bug stained smile on your face.

Here are my words of warning about flying a stock Stearman on Pavement...

The Bottom wing of a Stearman is never more than a heartbeat away from being a canvas bag full of toothpicks.....

The Stearman is a glorious airplane, and a blast to fly... but nothing sends shivers down my spine like flying a stock Stearman on Pavement...

Saw them fly often at Benton’s Stearman Field. A GREAT airport! Never will forget that moment the owner of this one kindly said, "come on, get in!" I'd buy one