"The airplane is a Stearman made by Boeing."
Although by that time, the factory was owned by Boeing, the builder's plates
still said Stearman.
According to my father, there were very few delivered to the Navy,
relatively speaking, as they prefered the N3N, perhaps as it was built in
their own factory.
There were a lot of Stearmans produced. Production is usually quoted at
somewhere around 10,000, although those of us who live where they did can
tell you that it's likely that no one knows the exact figure. The number
remaining operating probably exceeds a thousand.
On the other hand, the Navy only produced two or three hundred N3N's, and
there are but a handful or so still flying. The result? There are plenty of
Stearmans painted as N3N's. Likewise, an N3N is often mistaken for a
Stearman.
I can remember when I regularly went to the CAF show in Harlengen, I would
come back with jillions of photos, andshow them to my father. As I showed
him a slide of a biplane trainer, as often as not he said that the announcer
had mis-identified which of the two is was. I still have trouble telling the
difference.
As I looked back at John's photo, I do think it is a Stearman, but with
engine variations, it's hard to say. That certainly isn't one of the 450 hp
versions. If the paint job is accurate to the airplane, that would take a
real expert to tell.
By the way, as Boeing downsizes, it has listed a portion of the Wichita
plant for sale. Within the many additions, is the original plant. Just
think, you could own a piece of history!
Bill Pearce
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