Stearman N63035, model A75N1,
serial 75-374 was built in 1940,
one of the 150 aircraft in the
first order of PT 17’s for
the US Army. It was accepted and
assigned to Love Field, Dallas,
TX. Afterwards there ensured a
variety of assignments in Georgia
and Florida. It was stricken from
the US Army records on June 25,
1945 at Eagle Field, Dos Palos,
California.
After many years in storage, it
was purchased as a project by Dick
Aaron, a retired Hyster corporate
engineer, in 1999 at Shafter Field
near Bakersfield, CA. Considerable
restoration work had already been
accomplished on the airframe providing
a good foundation for the completion
of the restoration by Dick at Big
Sky Stearman. It appears from the
FAA records that very little activity
was recorded from the early fifties
to present substantiating our belief
that the airplane was not used
as a duster but was in storage.
The original civil logbook from
1946 to 1952 reflects 4,153.35
hours when the aircraft was sold
surplus in 1946. The current total
time is 5,085.00 hours.
The current aircraft description
is as follows:
New wood lower wings were constructed;
the upper wings and center section
have no history but are airworthy
and were retained. The airframe
was media cleaned and primered
with epoxy green primer. New parts
include: control cables, bearings,
pulleys, fairleads, panel shock
mounts, firewall, windshields,
tires, tubes, wiring, navigation
lights (no strobes), seat belts,
shoulder harnesses, baggage canvas,
battery, ELT, Sensenich propeller,
and AN hardware. The front and
rear cockpit instruments were overhauled.
A control lock was installed. The
Continental W670 engine and accessories,
including the Eclipse electric
inertia starter, were overhauled
by Aero Engines of Los Angeles.
The current time since the overhaul
of the engine and aircraft is 28
hours. STC’s include Redline
brakes, Jasco alternator, and regulator,
and Jacobs shielded ignition harness.
A Becker Com radio and sigtronics
intercom was installed. The aircraft
was covered in the Poly-Fiber process
with Aerothane finish. Dick was
a navy guy so the plane was finished
in a pre-war navy scheme.
As mentioned, the aircraft was
completed at Big Sky Stearman under
our supervision. The aircraft was
inspected for conformity and issued
a Standard Airworthiness Certificate
on September 12, 2002. Photos follow.
John Pike
A&P2078065IA
