Stearman
The overlap over the years between the makers of cars and of airplanes in America has been small but meaningful. Henry Ford financed the tri-motor Tin Goose, the first transcontinental airliner, and Chrysler owned Gulfstream, maker of executive jets, for several years in the late 80s. Going the other way, Beech Aircraft developed the first ever gas-electric hybrid automobile as early as 1946. The car’s technological wizardry, however, caused its price tag to soar higher than a Beechcraft airplane on a sunny day. And then there was Stearman Aircraft Corporation, who took a modest approach to getting around on the ground.
Stearman began building airplanes in Wichita, KS in 1927. By 1934, industry consolidation had turned it into a subsidiary of giant Boeing. That same year they introduced the Kaydet. Even though the design was nearly obsolete – a bi-plane with fabric covered wooden wings and a radial engine – the Kaydet was forgiving to fly and sturdy as hell. Thus, in the lead up to WW2 it saw widespread service as a trainer plane for U.S. armed forces. By the time production ended in 1944, Stearman had built nearly 10,000 Kaydets. Some of them even found their way into the air forces of China, Chile, Venezuela and the Philippines. Several are still in service today as crop dusters.
Stearman 75 Kaydet (www.Boeing.com)
The Kaydet airplane was the company’s best known product. Its Ieast known was the Stearman micro car.
The ready for anything Stearman (www.OldCarWeekly.com)
In 1970, Stearman began exploring possible business opportunities outside of aviation. One of these was a simple, light weight, inexpensive “around town” vehicle called the… well, they never got around to giving it a name. This sporty little car/truck/thingy had an all steel body with a snap on top. It could seat two people, plus a couple of small kids, dogs or golf bags. Motivation was provided by a 2-cylinder 20hp Kohler engine which sent power to the rear wheels via a planetary transmission and chain drive. Acceleration and top speed numbers are not known, but they are unlikely to have been scintillating.
Unfortunately, the Stearman was not on its way(www.OldCarWeekly.com)
The look? Well, this little moke conjures up the image of a strange love child, the result of that steamy night in the barn with a Volkswagen Thing, a Craftsman lawn tractor, and a 12-pack of 30 weight.
During 2+ years of evaluation the aircraft maker built at least three of these machines before the project was grounded. One Stearman survives. Many thanks to Phil Skinner for his piece that appeared in Old Car Weekly magazine. Without it, we’d probably have never heard of this nifty little car. Nor would we know that one of them still exists, residing at the Kansas Aviation Museum, located on the McConnell Air Force base outside Wichita.
Copyright@2020 by Mal Pearson
Sources
Old Car Weekly, January 9, 2020. Stearman Survivor, by Phil Skinner
www.Boeing.com