Boeing-Stearman Model 75

We talked about the stunt stuff.

And so one of the stunt pilots, Frank Tallman, who flew the red Stearman plane, claimed this film was the most dangerous film he'd ever flown for.

He was killed in a crash soon after filming finished.

Oh, no.

Well, the 55th annual National Stearman Fly-In is underway.

Harold W. Timmons, Galesburg Regional Airport, bringing vintage World War II-era biplanes to our skies through Saturday.

Today, we're joined by Brett Anderson, a Stearman pilot and owner who's also a commercial airline pilot by trade.

He's a third-generation flyer.

His father and grandfather both flew before him, and he's flown to Galesburg for this event for more than a decade.

So by the time I was 16 and old enough to become a student pilot, I was already well-adversed into flying.

It's just always been a great passion of mine.

So you were telling me that your dad bought a Stearman back in 2008, I think it was.

You know, it was really a nice airplane to begin with.

But the Stearman was definitely a step out of my league.

Yeah, didn't that start in a crate?

Well, no,

I would tell you a wooden fabric airplane is not the place to start.

You know, a Cessna 150 or something like that, an air coop.

I don't know any other thing, but, you know, a Stearman with four wings and.

You know, metal and fabric and the round motor was just, it was a lot, but it was a great learning experience.

And tonight we're going to explore some of that history, but we're also going to focus in on a very special Stearman that has returned to the museum.

Old number 42 is a Boeing Stearman built for the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942, but made its way to Terrell, Texas, and became one of the training aircraft right there at the Flying Training School.

And we'll talk more about how that came back home when we talk with Dennis and Carl, who are here from the museum.

And gentlemen, we are glad that you are here and a part of our show for tonight.

It did not take me long to look this up.

So the Stearman biplane featured in this book-

Mm-hmm

... front and center, Herb had one of those.

This is a pic-

So this is the little love letter to his-

I'm looking at a picture of him circa 1970 with his Stearman biplane.

This is his baby.

Okay

... because I plan to get back into airplanes, and I like the old World War II trainers, the Stearman, the, you know, the biplanes.

And if I ever get a biplane, I might do, you know, like, sunset flights and might market that, you know, uh, just out here, uh, uh, you know, out of, uh, out of, uh, Camarillo or Santa Paula, and just fly people along the coastline, you know, for-

Beautiful