Stearman PT-17 Kaydet

The Stearman (Boeing) PT-17 Kaydet was the classic American primary trainer of World War II, a rugged open-cockpit biplane that taught tens of thousands of Army and Navy aviators the fundamentals of flight. Built around a fabric-covered, welded steel-tube fuselage and wood-spar wings, with the student and instructor seated in tandem under the open sky, it was forgiving enough for beginners yet honest enough to expose bad habits.

The PT-17 was the variant of the Model 75 powered by the 220-horsepower Continental R-670 radial; more than 3,500 were ordered for the Army Air Corps, part of total Kaydet production exceeding 8,000 aircraft across all designations. Sturdy, cheap and almost indestructible, the "Stearman" became a symbol of wartime pilot training. After 1945 huge numbers were sold as surplus and went on to long second careers as cropdusters, sport and aerobatic aircraft, and beloved warbirds still flying today.