The Utah History of Stearman 87V
Stearman 75-8291 was completed on August 11, 1942 and delivered to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. 75-8291 was assigned Bureau Number 43197 and served through 1947. It was sold as surplus and, like many Stearman trainers, worked for many years as a sprayer and duster. Eventually retiring from agricultural business it was purchased by an individual.
…and crashed in the Oquirrh Mountains of Utah on August 7th, 1986. Stearman 75-8291 was purchased by the CAF twenty days later.
August 1986: 75-8291 wrecked in Utah’s Oquirrh Mountains.
An extensive, two-year rebuild project returned Stearman 75-8291 to airworthiness with a flight on August 17, 1988. Stearman 75-8291 became a regular, working CAF aircraft for thirty years with air show appearances, patron flights and prominent display in the Utah Wing’s museum.
August 1988: 75-8291 final assembly and engine start.
At the end of the 2015 flying season the wings were removed from 75-8291. A group of volunteers lead by an experienced fabric technician and guided by an experienced Stearman builder removed the old fabric. The wings were inspected, minor repairs were performed and new covering was applied finished with appropriate layers of adhesive, aluminum and paint. The wings were reinstalled and 75-8291 was back-to-work for the 2016 season.
December 2015: New fabric for 75-8291’s wings.
June 2016: 75-8291 is back to work with fresh wings.
75-8291 testing the recently rebuilt wings.
The plan was clear: at the end of 2016 75-8291 would be disassembled and the fuselage would be stripped, soda blasted, painted and recovered – 75-8291 would be back-to-work in 2017 for another thirty years. New radios were purchased; a new electrical panel fabricated; new tires were purchased and components staged in anticipation.
…then the turbulence began.
November 2016: The beginning of the fuselage project.
Part way through the fuselage project problems arose: the engine attachment points in the frame were discovered to be worn (and one severely stripped) and the impeller of the Pratt & Whitney R-985 was shredded (it had, at some point, ingested some metal). 75-8291 would need much more than fabric to become airworthy;
…and our experienced Stearman builder had “Gone West”.
Shredded impeller blades in the R-985.
Lack of experience and lack of finances were significant impediments for a few years. Recently all of that changed. We were introduced to a frame shop in Arizona that generously inspected and rebuilt the frame to a good-as-new condition. We have also received generous donations to cover the inspection and repair of the R-985 and we are rapidly moving forward to complete it.
September 2020: Like-new frame back from repair.
Panels, parts and trim are painted and ready to be assembled.
Our completion plan is in-place and we are excited for 75-8291 to be back-to-work again. While major funding has paid for the wings, fabric, frame repair and 80% of the engine repair, donations are still critical to complete the following components and tasks of the project:
Even small donations make a difference for the remaining miscellany when purchasing AN hardware and paying for shipping. Your $100 and even $20 donations will carry this to completion for another thirty years of service.
