Stearman'sKaydetbiplanefirstflewin1934,andin1935theU.S.Navyacquiredtheaircraftforuseastrainers.WithinayeartheU.S.ArmyAirCorpsfollowedsuit,buying26oftheairplanesfromBoeing(whichhadacquiredStearmanin1934).Designatedthe"Model75",theArmydubbedthetwo-seatplanethePT-13andtheNavytheNS.Withwarloomingonthehorizon,theneedfortrainersbecamepronounced;ordersin1940topped3500airframes.Byconflict'sendin1945,over10,000werebuilt.TheKaydetsweresimple,ruggedaircraftequippedwitharadialengine,fabric-coveredwoodenwings,andsingle-leglandinggear.Thefuselage,whichwasalsofabric-covered,wasbuiltofsteel.MostmodelswereequippedwitheithertheLycomingR-680(PT-13)orContinentalR-670(PT-17)engine,producingatopspeedof124mphwitha505-milerange.A255-hpmodelreceivedthedesignationPT-18.TheKaydetcontinuedtoflyinthepost-WWIIeraasatrainerandcropduster.Approximately1,000"Stearmans"arestillinserviceinthepresentday.OriginallycreatedduringWWIIbytheU.S.NavyandArmyAirForces,thispilotmanualwasstandardissuetoallcadets.Itisreproducedhereinitsentirety.