Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
1946 Rides for pay in Stearman N63691
Rides for pay
Excerpt from the book, "Verdi" by Verdi Gilbertson
I hadn’t had the Stearman for very long in 1946 and one night I was pushing it into the hangar. A man stopped by and asked me, “Do you give rides?” I had never seen him before so I told him, “No, but you can stop down at the hangar and ask Bob Clagget, he gives rides.” He said, "Ya, but I want a ride in that air
plane.” I could tell he wanted to ride in an open cockpit airplane like my Stearman. He asked me, “How much would you charge for a ride?” I told him, “Oh, how about three dollars but it will have to be short one because it is almost dark.” He looked at me and said, "Let’s go." So I told him, “If you help me push it in again when we get back I will give you a ride.” That was okay with him so he got in and we took off.
After a short trip around the field, I said, “Okay, it’s going get dark so I’ll have to get back to the hangar.” He was enjoying the ride and said, “No let’s keep on going.” It was getting dark so we had to go back. I didn’t even have a private license yet. All I had was just a solo permit. I was supposed to have a commercial license to charge for rides. After that first ride for pay I thought, “Gee I could make some money with this.” After that I flew out to my home farm and landed the Stearman in a grain field. I gave mostly free rides to all the family members. I had lot of friends and relatives who enjoyed flying for free.
plane.” I could tell he wanted to ride in an open cockpit airplane like my Stearman. He asked me, “How much would you charge for a ride?” I told him, “Oh, how about three dollars but it will have to be short one because it is almost dark.” He looked at me and said, "Let’s go." So I told him, “If you help me push it in again when we get back I will give you a ride.” That was okay with him so he got in and we took off.After a short trip around the field, I said, “Okay, it’s going get dark so I’ll have to get back to the hangar.” He was enjoying the ride and said, “No let’s keep on going.” It was getting dark so we had to go back. I didn’t even have a private license yet. All I had was just a solo permit. I was supposed to have a commercial license to charge for rides. After that first ride for pay I thought, “Gee I could make some money with this.” After that I flew out to my home farm and landed the Stearman in a grain field. I gave mostly free rides to all the family members. I had lot of friends and relatives who enjoyed flying for free.
Barnstorming 1946
Sunday came and then the weather was good for flying. People were looking for rides and we needed money so we gave plenty of rides. The regulations from the FAA weren’t too tough. Many of the farmers wanted to know if they could fly by their home farms. They especially liked the ride when I went right over their home farms. It took more gas to climb high so we were maybe five hundred feet or lower.
The Stearman burned twelve gallons an hour and gas was thirty five cents per gallon so it cost about five dollars an hour for the Stearman to fly considering it took a lot of oil besides the gas. I was glad to give the passenger a ride for five dollars if the farm was a ways away. I probably charged half that if it was closer.
The Stearman burned twelve gallons an hour and gas was thirty five cents per gallon so it cost about five dollars an hour for the Stearman to fly considering it took a lot of oil besides the gas. I was glad to give the passenger a ride for five dollars if the farm was a ways away. I probably charged half that if it was closer.
Friday, August 6, 2010
History of Verdi's Stearman
A HISTORY OF STEARMAN N63691
N63691 was contracted to the Boeing Aircraft Company by the U.S. Army. Supplemental Order 90 diverted this airplane to the U.S. Navy and it was assigned U.S. Navy designation N2S-4 BuAeroNo 30138.
Delivery cost was $8474 which equates to $102,000 in 2006 dollars.
2 Oct 1942: Accepted by the U.S. Navy and assigned to NAS (Naval Air Station) Dallas, Texas. Sometime in 1944: Taken off of Active status and put into NAS Dallas A+R Depot (Assembly and Repair) to be reconditioned.
28 Feb 1945: Reinstated to Active status at NAS Dallas.
8 Aug 1945: Assigned to NAS at Norman Oklahoma. 31 Oct 1945: Taken out of duty and transferred to RFC (Reconstruction Finance Corporation) at Oklahoma City. The RFC was an agency appointed by the Surplus Property Board of the U.S. Government to dispose of surplus war equipment.
28 Feb 1946 Sold by RFC Oklahoma City to Geare Aviation Corporation of St. Paul, Minn. for $368.
11 Apr 1946: Sold to Robert A. Claggett of Montevideo, Minn.
20 Apr 1946: Sold to D.L. Folkestad of Montevideo, Minn.
26 Apr 1946: Sold to Verdie H. Gilbertson of Montevideo, Minn.
14 Sep 1946: Sold to Walter E. Ashmore of Maynard, Minn for $1200.
6 Apr 1947: Sold to John L. Rice of Willmar, Minn.
1 May 1947: Sold to Irwin Tallakson of Willmar, Minn.
2 Feb 1949: Sold to Robert Douglas Schaw of Blomkest, Minn.
5 Apr 1949: Sold to Clarence P. Berg of Willmar, Minn.
7 Feb 1950: Sold to Minnesota Aerial Sprayers of Murdock, Minn.
5 May 1952: Sold to Serv-Aero Engineering Inc. of Dos Palos (Merced County), Ca.
11 March 1956: Sold to Inland Crop Dusters of Bakersfield, Ca. (Shafter Field).
7 Sep 1966: Aircraft damaged at Shafter, Ca. at 840 AM while spraying crops. Pilot pulled up from swath run and collided with wires. The pilot, age 48, with 11,400 total hours and 7500 hours in type, was injured.
11 August 1988: Sold to Pep Duffy of Shafter, Ca.
24 Mar 2006: Aircraft received Airworthy Certificate for a Standard Classification Aerobatic Category after complete restoration by Pep Duffy and John Olson at the Bird’s Nest at Shafter Field .
27 August 2006: Aircraft moved from the Bird's Nest to its new home in Watsonville, CA Captain Jack "Zipper" at the controls. Crew Chief / CFI "Scuba Steve" along for the ride.
Note: while it may be warm every where else in California, remember to bring a warm jacket for that last 10 minutes into Watsonville (burrrrrr)
Information from Jack's New Stearman Web Page .Thanks to Jack for posting the information available on Steve Blackwell's web page
There are 2007 Photos on his page. So far they do not open on my computer but are available on the gallery below this post.
N63691 was contracted to the Boeing Aircraft Company by the U.S. Army. Supplemental Order 90 diverted this airplane to the U.S. Navy and it was assigned U.S. Navy designation N2S-4 BuAeroNo 30138.
Delivery cost was $8474 which equates to $102,000 in 2006 dollars.
2 Oct 1942: Accepted by the U.S. Navy and assigned to NAS (Naval Air Station) Dallas, Texas. Sometime in 1944: Taken off of Active status and put into NAS Dallas A+R Depot (Assembly and Repair) to be reconditioned.
28 Feb 1945: Reinstated to Active status at NAS Dallas.
8 Aug 1945: Assigned to NAS at Norman Oklahoma. 31 Oct 1945: Taken out of duty and transferred to RFC (Reconstruction Finance Corporation) at Oklahoma City. The RFC was an agency appointed by the Surplus Property Board of the U.S. Government to dispose of surplus war equipment.
28 Feb 1946 Sold by RFC Oklahoma City to Geare Aviation Corporation of St. Paul, Minn. for $368.
11 Apr 1946: Sold to Robert A. Claggett of Montevideo, Minn.
20 Apr 1946: Sold to D.L. Folkestad of Montevideo, Minn.
26 Apr 1946: Sold to Verdie H. Gilbertson of Montevideo, Minn.
14 Sep 1946: Sold to Walter E. Ashmore of Maynard, Minn for $1200.
6 Apr 1947: Sold to John L. Rice of Willmar, Minn.
1 May 1947: Sold to Irwin Tallakson of Willmar, Minn.
2 Feb 1949: Sold to Robert Douglas Schaw of Blomkest, Minn.
5 Apr 1949: Sold to Clarence P. Berg of Willmar, Minn.
7 Feb 1950: Sold to Minnesota Aerial Sprayers of Murdock, Minn.
5 May 1952: Sold to Serv-Aero Engineering Inc. of Dos Palos (Merced County), Ca.
11 March 1956: Sold to Inland Crop Dusters of Bakersfield, Ca. (Shafter Field).
7 Sep 1966: Aircraft damaged at Shafter, Ca. at 840 AM while spraying crops. Pilot pulled up from swath run and collided with wires. The pilot, age 48, with 11,400 total hours and 7500 hours in type, was injured.
11 August 1988: Sold to Pep Duffy of Shafter, Ca.
24 Mar 2006: Aircraft received Airworthy Certificate for a Standard Classification Aerobatic Category after complete restoration by Pep Duffy and John Olson at the Bird’s Nest at Shafter Field .
27 August 2006: Aircraft moved from the Bird's Nest to its new home in Watsonville, CA Captain Jack "Zipper" at the controls. Crew Chief / CFI "Scuba Steve" along for the ride.
Note: while it may be warm every where else in California, remember to bring a warm jacket for that last 10 minutes into Watsonville (burrrrrr)
Information from Jack's New Stearman Web Page .Thanks to Jack for posting the information available on Steve Blackwell's web page
There are 2007 Photos on his page. So far they do not open on my computer but are available on the gallery below this post.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Verdi's 2nd Stearman 1947
This was my second Stearman a PT 17. I bought it in 1947 when I sold my 1946 Luscombe and took the Stearman in trade with $600 to boot.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)