Stearman N2S-1 Kaydet

Stearman Aircraft · USA · first flew 1934 · light aircraft

The N2S-1 was the US Navy's initial designation for the Stearman Model 75 Kaydet biplane trainer, powered by a Lycoming R-680 radial engine and serving as a primary training aircraft during World War II.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	7.54 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Classic WWII biplane primary trainer, Lycoming R-680 engine
US Navy N2S-1 variant of Boeing-Stearman Model 75
Open tandem cockpit biplane with interplane struts

Iconic biplane with equal-span wings, N-form interplane struts, open tandem cockpits, and a prominent radial engine — one of the most recognisable aircraft of the WWII era.

Specifications

The Stearman N2S-1 Kaydet has a length of 7.54 m (25 ft).
It has a wingspan of 9.8 m (32 ft).
Its maximum speed is 198 km/h (123 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Stearman Aircraft, absorbed into Boeing in 1934, developed the Model 75 as a rugged and forgiving biplane trainer; the Navy adopted it as the N2S series while the Army Air Forces flew it as the PT-13, PT-17, and PT-18, making it the most widely used American primary trainer of the war.

Variants

The N2S series ran from N2S-1 through N2S-5, primarily differing in engine type: Lycoming R-680 in the N2S-1, Continental R-670 in the N2S-3, and so on; total production exceeded ten thousand airframes.

Where you'll see it

Trained the majority of US Navy and Marine Corps pilots during World War II; after the war, thousands entered civil use as crop dusters and aerobatic aircraft, and many remain airworthy today.

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