Warbird Information Exchange

I would like to repaint my Stearman to its original paint job. The current paint is in excellent shape. Some people have told me the current paint is great and not to change it. I'd like to see it back in a military paint job. Below is the service data sheet in two different scan intensities. They show where the plane was based. Anyone know what type of paint job they would have at one of the listed locations?

Or, should I not repaint it?
Thanks for your thoughts.
John

Your quote above - so I'd say if you would like to repaint it, go for it! If you don't want to spend the money on it, it's fine. Of course the whole fabric / repaint deal might be an issue unless you have some good pros doing it.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

If I were you I wouldn't paint it until it's due for a recover. The colour scheme on it at the moment looks ok.

I think in 1942, Stearman's were still blue and yellow.

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No comment............(no gear doors)
VL

OK, so, if I read this right, she spent most of her time at the Hawthorn School of Aeronautics, 2162nd AAFBU, 58th Flying Training Detachment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_School_of_Aeronautics

What few photos I see purporting to be from there show the later overall silver training paint scheme, but that's only from a few minutes research and casual observation (and a personal bias against yet another Stearman in blue and yellow )

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Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.

Back when I was a kid, all the Stearmans out there had civil schemes...often with "sunburst" designs on the wings, it was rare to see a military scheme.
Now days, its rare to see a civil scheme, so it's rather a nice change...especially from the Navy gray with belly rings that has been done to death by restorers.

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I figure if you wanted my opinion on items unrelated to this forum, you'd ask for it.

[quote="snjflyer"]I would like to repaint my Stearman to its original paint job. The current paint is in excellent shape. Some people have told me the current paint is great and not to change it. I'd like to see it back in a military paint job. Below is the service data sheet in two different scan intensities. They show where the plane was based. Anyone know what type of paint job they would have at one of the listed locations?

John,
Stearman's are not my specialist subject but the following may be a help to you.

"Sherman Fairchild's PT-19 - Cradle of Heroes" (H.L. Puckett) gives this advice on paint schemes..."No trainer airplane was manufactured after May 30, 1942, painted in the blue and yellow colors. After this date all aircraft came off the production line painted silver with black glare panels on the front cowlings and around the cockpits."

I note your Stearman was retired from service at the Hawthorne school at Orangeburg, SC in July 1945. I believe the school had begun training French pilots on Stearmans by then, a role taken over from that of the primary school at Tuscaloosa, which at one stage had used both Fairchild and Stearman trainers for the French students.

Hope this helps, Tony

Preserving post WW2 aviation history is important too! Keeping some in typical civilian colors is becoming rare! Imagine if the Super Corsair was painted in Navy colors? Boring!

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Cessna 195

We had two Stearmans the first one was very similar to yours. white with orange and gold trim. When my dad bought it in in 1971, he and a WW II era guy stripped all the paint off the fabric with stripper. Then they had to replace some of the tape and they repainted it in a hangar. It previously had lots of "crows feet" and "spider webbing." It lasted about 10 years. Not sure if that is still legal to do.
Our second Stearman he received on trade when selling his Mustang. It was Army blue and yellow. I was told that the white number on the fuselage only went to three hundred something before the following serials left the factory all silver zinc chromate. Ou'rs had 786 on the side and yes, one or two people came up every airshow to tell us it wasn't the right paint job. I did tire of the blue and yellow after a year or so.
I saw an award winning Stearman at Oshkosh this year with yellow wings and a white fuselage. I think it was a Navy scheme. If you chose this less common scheme, it would allow just the wings to be totally redone . The fuselage might be able to be sanded or stripped (maybe not) and there would be a lot you wouldn't have to repaint like the vertical fin, gear legs, etc.
Many years ago, some local Stearman restorers did theirs as it left the factory, all gray and put decals for the stars and bars and serial number on the tail. Later when it sold the new buyer cleaned it and sprayed it the color of his choice.

Good luck!

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Jerry
S/Sgt. - USAF Radio Operator '52-'56
C-119 "Flying Boxcar" - Korea & Japan

Volunteer: National Museum of the US Air Force (2007-2016)
LTM 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association

Pretty sure it was delivered in silver for a November 1942 build. The switch from blue/yellow occurred in August of that year. To be accurate it should have USAF/USN markings... and since it was a PT-17 (I haven't checked your serial number) it should have the USN markings painted over for delivery to the USAF. Please don't paint it with orange peel if you can help it.

gunny

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Scott 'Gunny' Perdue
http://www.eagleflyingmuseum.org

Thanks everyone of the great comments and history lesson.
If the authentic color of my Stearman is the plain silver, I'm not really in a hurry to change the paint job until it is really necessary. I've toyed with the idea of painting it in the "recall" colors, but I think that paint scheme becomes hard to look at after awhile.
Thanks again for your input.
John

Anyone who is interested in the French connection with the Hawthorne school might find this link is worth following up..http://patrice.laverdet.pagesperso-orange.fr/html/cfpna_hawthorne.htm
Tony Broadhurst

If your plane is colored with paint as opposed to Dope you will probably get more cracking and crows feet than the doped one. I just would never put paint on a fabric airplane, but that is just me. I have been told that the new "modern" paints flex enough not to be a problem, but if you want original go back to dope. The color variations in the silver plane shown, show the difference in using dope on fabric, and paint on the metal parts. I like these variations as that is how the original planes were. I am sure with modern coating these variations can be omitted.