Hutch's Stearmans -- the real deal

At one of the VSC social gatherings last week a conversation began about Don Hutchinson's fabulous Stearman stunters. He's built several of them...44" wingspan, functional wing flaps, authentic former-and-stringer fuselage, spring-loaded LG, etc., etc.

The thing is, while they'd probably place highly at most any local or regional CL Scale meet, they're capable of flying the complete CLPA pattern --- as once demonstrated by Bart Whatsisnameski, who scored very close to 500 without appearance points.

While Hutch' currently offers plans for his amazing semi-scale profile stunt designs (F6F, SBD, P-38, et al.), the full-fuselage Stearman is worth seeing. The plans alone are a work of art.

He once built one to give---yes, GIVE---to me. It suffered some damage in the shipment to Tucson. (I won't name the shipper, but its initials are UPS.) As a result of other interests, plus being basically lazy, I kept putting-off repairing that damage, finally handing it off to Alfadawg, who is capable of building entire models in the time it takes me to cook a cheeseburger. Thus we hope to see it fully repaired and perhaps once again in the air.

Meanwhile, here's a photo of one example...

Mike Keville

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That photo has been my wallpaper for quite a few years. Never get tired of looking at it.
Dennis

I have to thank Mikey for the chance to get and repair the plane you see in the pic. I cut off the rudder and made a totally new one just like the original and then repaired the rest of the dings. Matching the paint was easy as Don used standard colors. Once I had the model looking good I knew where it would eventually wind up.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to fly Roy Tranthams' plane that looks almost exactly like the Stearman, right down to the paint scheme, the last time I was in Florida. Really a nice, easy plane to fly, gentle on the controls. When Roy came out to VSC this time I presented him the model and it now resides in his hanger just over the real one. Kinda cool, I thought. It will be around a long time doing what it is supposed to do, looking good and inspiring others. RJ

Just for clarification, Mike,

How different are Don's Stearmans from the 1948 Palmer/Yates Olathe Nats Stunt AND Scale CL winning Sammy Mason Stearman?

That one, of course, was built around howling BIG Orwicks and probably did a bit less than 5.2 second laps. Structure had a lot of wood - well, duh, those Orwicks had plenty grunt. Sensible revision of wood sizes, etc., for the lighter, smoother modern engines should be possible.

Or, perhaps, only the exteriors look similar. Either way, these are truly classic models - and I don't mean just in the sense of fitting the Classic event (actually, the Palmer-Yates design is OT eligible).

Just saw this thread. The Stearman's I built are larger than the Yates/Palmer version, I'm about 540 sq.ins. area, I think theirs was around 450. Mine can be built to about 43 ounces. That model was the one that got me going on the Stearman trek. Built the first one in 1950, inch to the foot scale with an Ohlsson 23 FRV up front, flew pretty good. Several others with a Cameron 19, then on to the big sizes after 1988. The design comes from an excellant set of drawings of the structure of real airplane.
Don

Thanks, Don!

Interesting history about yours. There's no way the Palmer-Yates PT-17 could be built that light, or fly on an O&R 23 or Cameron 19. It's been a delight to see yours over the years.

You are absolutely right, the Yates/Palmer Stearman needed an Orwick 64 up front. My O&R 23 model was only 32 inch span and built light. It came from enlarging a plan for a 16 inch span rubber power model in MAN about that time. One of the reasons it flew good is because scale rubber flyers all enlarge the horizontal tail surface. Incidently, I have some photos of the Yates/Palmer model before it had Sammy Mason painted on the fuselage!
Don

No argument, Hutch's Stearmans are great but if I can put a word in for the Yeates version, 40" span, 6 3/4" chord (at least mine is) a modern 46 would pull it easily, mine has an OK "Super" 61 on spark, which was never a powerhouse, and it pulls it around quite well but with all that nose weight squares are out of the question.
Still, the rationale is for our (Australian) vintage rules where points are added for age of model & engine, no flaps etc.. and there are no squares in the pattern.



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Beautiful airplane! If built light would fly just fine with an OS 40 or Magnum 36XL. If built with all the plywood, metal and hardware as designed, might be a bit heavy! It needed an Orwick back then, probably flew about 80 mph. That size with flaps could be a killer model!! Mine are a bit too big.
Don

Thanks Don, you are right about the plywood but "Lite ply" helps, it came in at 48oz with batteries & ign. Covering is Koverall, nitrate dope and 2 pack. Fuel petrol/castor 3:1
As they say in the classics, real aeroplanes have four wings and round engines.

The Sheeks Staggerwing has flaps top & bottom, OS46LA and flies a respectable F3B pattern.


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