Page 28 - Volume 13 Number 2

The brakes can be used individually as well as in unison. The short field did not hamper us in taking off as we were well up in the air after covering one-half the length of the field. From Glendale we made the rounds of the fields delivering the Digest, the plane causing favorable comment wherever we landed. The large, comfortable cockpit, well upholstered for its passengers, is a comfort to ride in and the performance of the aircraft must be a great pleasure for any pilot flying it. The motor was the same OX-5 with which Hoyt won the “On- To-Philadelphia” race and was used to prove that the aircraft would give good performance with an OX-5. It will be replaced with a 200-horsepower motor for which the aircraft was built. Lloyd Stearman has gained new laurels in the designing and building of this, his latest engineering feat, and Fred Hoyt, George Lyle and other members of Stearman Aircraft, Inc., may well feel proud to market a plane of this high-class performance.”
By the first week of March three more aircraft were under construction in Venice. One of these was the Stearman C2 that shared the same airframe as the C1 but the aileron control systems incorporated push- pull rods from the cockpit that connected to torque tubes in the upper wing panels, which in turn actuated the ailerons. The new system would remain in use
throughout production of the C-series biplanes. Another change made in the C2 centered on installing the water radiator between the landing gear struts, not in the front of the cowling.
The change may have been prompted by two factors: 1) The original radiator design required considerable work to fabricate and install that possibly increased manufacturing and labor costs. 2) The radiator was pleasing aesthetically but may not have proven as effective in practice as it did in theory. In addition, relocating the radiator made maintenance easier for mechanics by greatly improving access to the heat exchanger and associated plumbing.
As 1926 drew to a close, Lloyd Stearman had established himself as a viable airframe manufacturer and flown the first ship to bear his name. The year 1927, however, would put obstacles in his path that prove impossible to overcome. KA
Ed Phillips, now retired and living in the South, has researched and written eight books on the unique and rich aviation history that belongs to Wichita, Kan. His writings have focused on the evolution of the airplanes, companies and people that have made Wichita the “Air Capital of the World” for more than 80 years.
26 • KING AIR MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2019