Stearman Designed Both
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YESTERDAY'S WINDS The little-remembered C-3 was a competitor of the early Travel Air biplanes. In many respects, the two were look-alikes, a not-so-strange fact since Lloyd Carlton Stearman designed both The Stearman C·3 by PETER M. BOWERS / AOPA 54408 -------------------------------- ~I Lloyd Stearman and the C-1 at Venice, Calif., in early 1927. Though using a tai/skid, the C-1 •• Mention the name "Stearman" in 4000 series [Nov. 1959 PILOT, page 72]. had brakes on the wheels, an innovation at the general aviation circles today and most However, he did not stay there long; he time. Note the aileron strut and the nose radi• of those present will think of the fa• left in 1926 to form his own firm, Stear• ator. deleted on subsequent Stearman models. mous Kaydet biplane of the WW-II man Aircraft, Inc., at Venice, Calif. Photo by The Boeing Company years [Nov. 1967 PILOT,page 44]. A few Stearman used the facilities and per• others will recall the unique Stearman• sonnel of the Lyle-Hoyt Airplane Com• The C-2s were built at a time when Hammond Y safety plane of 1937 [Nov. pany, a flying service well known to pilots were still of diverse opinions as 1963 PILOT, page 64]. A very few will Stearman, since it was at that time the to whether the throttle should be on the recall the Stearman C-3 biplane series Travel Air distributor for the West left side of the cockpit or the right. of 1927-1930 which was Stearman's Coas t. While most of the C-2s had left-hand principal product until World War II The first plane Stearman designed for throttles, a few straddled the issue by when big military orders made the his new firm was the C-1, which was a having throttles on both sides of the Kaydet famous. direct competitor to the Travel Air. It same cockpit. The "Stearman" label on airplanes even looked like the Wichita product• While Stearman had an excellent air• and factories identifies Lloyd Carlton Curtiss OX-5 engine, steel tube fuselage, plane, the Venice plant was small and Stearman, who started his aeronautical two-seat front cockpit, and overhanging not suited to significant production; engineering career with the old Lab d top wing (less the "Elephant Ear" bal• when some of his old friends in Wichita Airplane Company of Wichita, Kan. ances). The similarity in appearance invited him to relocate there, and When owner Matty Laird sold the plant was only natural, since designers tend backed up their request with the money to some of the employees and their to carry the details of one good design needed to establish a new firm, he backers and moved to Chicago, Stear• on to their next. readily accepted. Reorganized as Stear• man stayed behind. Since the plant had The C-1 was somewhat underpowered man Aircraft Company, the firm moved been building a plane known as the with the 90 hp OX-5 engine and was into a refurbished factory complex, on Laird Swallow, the new company that soon refitted with a Menasco-Sahnson. the north side of Wichita, known as the the purchasers formed in 1923 was This was a water-cooled WW-I radial Bridgeport Plant. Here, production of called Swallow Aircraft Company. Its engine built in France and it delivered the C-2 was resumed; the first Wichita• first product was a three-seat biplane 240 hp. Menasco Motors of Los Angeles built Stearman, another mailplane for designed by the new chief engineer, rebuilt some for sale on the American Varney, rolled out in December 1927. Lloyd Stearman. Except for its obsoles• market. It is a tribute to the ruggedness While the first 30 production Stear• cent wood-and-wire fuselage construc• of the C-1 that such a power increase man airplanes were called C-2 when tion, this was the first of the modern could be made without extensive re• built, they were so similar to the fol• general aviation designs to appear to• building of the airframe. lowing (and type-certificated) C-3 that ward the end of the aeronautical dol• The C-1 was a one-only, and was they were easily adapted to C-3 stan• drums that set in before World War II never type-certificated. It was quickly dards and soon lost their C-2 identity. and it became a pace setter for the followed by a refined C-2, which was The main competitor for the C-3 was reviving industry. initially powered with the OX-5. This still the Travel Air. While there were When some of the Swallow personnel, had the radiator under the belly, instead Travel Airs with the 200-220 hp "Whirl• particularly Walter Beech, tried to pro• of in the nose like the C-l. One notable wind" engine, the majority sold with the mote steel tube structures, top manage• change from the C-1 was the deletion of old surplus OX-5. Stearman aimed for a ment turned them down. Believing that the Travel Air type of push rod from higher-priced market, and the majority tubing was the only way to go, Beech the lower wing to the ailerons in the of the C-3s were C-3Bs with the· 220 hp left Swallow in 1924 and persuaded upper wing. The C-2 used push rods J-5 "Whirlwind." Named Sport Com• Lloyd Stearman to leave with him. directly from the cockpit to the center mercial, these were licensed under Ap• Beech and Stearman then became two section of the upper wing, which then proved Type Certificate (ATC) 55, is• of the original three founders of the turned torque tubes aligned with the sued July 27, 1928. ~ Travel Air Manufacturing Company, aileron hinges. The principal variant of the C-3B was also of Wichita [Sept. 1971 PILOT, page Other C-2s quickly followed, but fea• the C-3MB, 15 of which were built as 34]. tured more power, notably the 200 hp single-seat mail planes with a 33-cubic• At Travel Air, Stearman designed the Wright J-4 "Whirlwind" engine. The foot mail pit replacing the front cockpit . • three-seat biplane that was to become second C-2, a J-4-powered mailplane, These were licensed under ATC-137. As famous as the Travel Air 2000/3000/ was sold to Varney Air Lines. these relatively small mailplanes were 34 THE AOPA PILOT I JANUARY 1972 phased out of mail operations, they were Airplane Company, Pratt & Whitney converted to three-seat "C-3B Specials" SPECIFICATIONS AND PERFORMANCE engines, Hamilton-Standard propellers, and licensed under Memo Approval and several airlines that were known 2-159. One C-3B was sold as a twin• Stearman C-38 collectively as United Air Lines. This float seaplane under Memo 2-124. led to a close association with Boeing Relatively little effort was made to and the purchase of some Boeing de• Span 35 ft. develop lower-cost C-3s with war-surplus signs and technology by Stearman. Pro• 24 ft. engines. Only two OX-5-powered C-3As Length duction of the C-3R ended in October were built (cost of an unused OX-5 Wing area 297 sq. ft. 1931. At a time when other aircraft engine in 1928 was $500, compared to Pawerplant Wright J-5 plants were closing, Stearman managed $4,900 for a J-5). There were two C-3Cs 220 hp @ to stay in business by introducing larger (later redesignated C-3D) with the sur• and more expensive models, rather than plus 180 hp Wright E, a license-built 1,850 rpm by bringing out cheap, bare-minimum version of the French Hispano-Suiza, or Empty weight 1,625 Ibs. lightplanes as others were trying to do. "Hisso." These were licensed under Grass weight 2,650 Ibs. Lloyd Stearman left his company in ATC-62. There was a single C-3H with High speed 126 mph 1931 after United merged it with an air-cooled Menasco conversion of the Northrop Aircraft of Burbank, Calif., 108 mph old Salmson. However, this was hardly Cruising speed and the surviving company moved the a surplus engine when Menasco got Climb 1,000 ft./min. Northrop tooling to Wichita. He became through with it. It sold for over $3,000 Ceiling 18,000 ft. associated briefly with Walter T. Varney and the experimental C-3H was soon Range 620 mi. in his airline ventures, then became converted to a C-3B. Price $8,970 president of the newly reorganized Abandoning surplus engines entirely, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in 1933. Stearman cast about for newer engines He was with Stearman-Hammond in to satisfy customers who wanted less C-3B in July 1929, but a new model, San Franci~co from 1936 through 1938. than 220 hp. Such things were scarce in the C-3R, was quickly developed to use Still active with his own companies at the United States in early 1928, how• the J-6-7. This was essentially the C-3B age 73, he was surprised recently to find ever, so he tried an import, the 125 hp airframe with relatively minor state-of• his name on a memorial plaque to German Siemens-Halske SH-12 air• the-art improvements, a more rounded• deceased Wichita aviation pioneers at cooled radial. This was marketed in the out fuselage, larger tail surfaces, and a the Wichita Municipal Airport. United States by T. Claude Ryan as the drag ring around the engine for better The. C-3s and other Stearman bi• Ryan-Siemens.