Take the Controls of a Stearman during 38th annual Fly-In

Sarah Wilson, a FAA Certified Flight Instructor, will offer half-hour hands-on rides in a 1943 Stearman PT-17 during the 38th National Stearman Fly-In which is scheduled Sept. 7-13, 2009, at Galesburg, IL, Municipal Airport.

Posted Aug. 17, 2009

Galesburg, IL – Sarah Wilson says a flight in her 1943 Stearman biplane is an adventure that stays with her passengers.

“When people fly these historic airplanes they are transported back in time,” Wilson says. “The roar of the engine, the wind on their faces … it is like you really are a pilot in World War II, and the joy from that experience stays with people for the rest of their lives.”

That’s because Wilson, a FAA Certified Flight Instructor, offers more than just a ride in the legendary World War II primary trainer. Her passengers get a “hands-on” experience – taking the controls of the airplane, except for take-offs and landings – during a 30-minute-long flight.

The Stearman PT-17 has two cockpits, both with full controls, so pilots in the front or rear cockpit can fly the plane, Wilson says.

“While no aerobatics will be performed, passenger-pilots will be given the opportunity to fly some of the same maneuvers the cadets flew in World War II – shallow and steep bank turns, lazy-eights, chandelles and stalls,” Wilson says. Flights are tailored to the individual passenger’s tastes, Wilson says, “…so wild or mild, it’s your choice.”

Wilson will offer flights at Galesburg Municipal Airport during the 38th National Stearman Fly-In, which scheduled Sept. 7-13. Flights will be available each day, weather permitting, between 10 a.m. and dusk.

Passenger-pilots must be at least 10 years old and weigh 280 pounds or less for a Stearman flight.

Cost is $200 for the half-hour flight. Wilson will also offer shorter flights – 15 minutes in length – for $120 during the Galesburg Fly-In. For more information or to reserve a flight time, interested persons may call (863) 899-4322 or visit Wilson’s website at
www.StearmanFlights.com.

This Stearman trainer started its Army Air Corps service in 1943 at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, TX. Today it’s used to create a sense of what primary training was like during World War II. Flight Instructor Sarah Wilson will offer half-hour hands-on rides in the plane during the 38th National Stearman Fly-In which is scheduled Sept. 7-13, 2009, at Galesburg, IL, Municipal Airport.

About the Pilot

Sarah Wilson is a modern-day barnstormer.

During the winter, she gives flight instruction in her PT-17 Stearman and an L-4 Grasshopper in Central Florida.

Summers are spent with the Stearman as part of the American Barnstormers Flying Circus, the commercial operators from the American Barnstormers Tour who travel the country each providing vintage airplane flights.

Wilson has logged more than 3,000 hours as an instructor, corporate pilot and barnstormer. She holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating: Commercial Pilot Rating, single-engine land and sea; and instrument and multi-engine Flight Instructor.

She has more than a decade of experience in both the aviation and hospitality industries. She’s known for a calm, light-hearted demeanor in the cockpit that makes even the most novice flyer at ease.

About the Plane

Wilson’s 1943 Stearman was delivered as a PT-13D to the Army Air Corps at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo Texas, and assigned to the 2533 Air Base Squadron primary training, where it remained for the duration of its military career.

In February 1948 Stearman Kaydet 42-17836 was transferred from training command to the Civil Air Patrol and probably gained U.S. civil registration then.

Representatives of M&M Air Service, a crop dusting company in Beaumont, TX, attended an Air Force surplus auction at Bryan Field in 1950 where they purchased what was left of the Stearmans -- with engines and propellers -- for just $56.56 each. Wilson’s plane, “Blu,” began a new career as a crop duster and was converted with spray bars, hoppers, and a Pratt & Whitney 450hp R-985 engine.

In May 1970 two pilots collided in the air over Deweyville, TX, and both aircraft were destroyed.

Pete Jones, owner of Air Repair Inc, Cleveland, MS, purchased what was left of the Stearmans after the accident and began restoration in 1993. He chose the original blue and yellow of the pre-1943 aircraft and powered it with a 220-horsepower Continental R-670-R. The white 111 "buzz” numbers on the side are for the 111th Stearman that Air Repair restored.

In 1997, “Blu” – also known as N43340 -- was chosen to be the Goodyear Calendar plane.

More than 10,000 Stearmans were produced between 1935 and 1945 for use as primary trainers by the Army Air Corps and Navy, making it the best known and perhaps the most admired American biplane.