No #6 Stearman, which became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934, began building its Model 75 biplane basic trainer in the early 1930s. The U.S. Army Air Force adopted the rugged and reliable aircraft as a primary trainer, calling it the Kaydet, and the aircraft also became a basic trainer for the U.S. Navy. Nearly 8,600 were produced in the 1930s and 1940s for military use and after World War II large numbers of war-surplus Stearmans were bought to be used as crop dusters and sport aircraft. Many flew at air shows and one is shown here performing a modern-day display with a wing-walker harnessed to the top of its upper wing.
