Page 34 - Volume 14 Number 2

32 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY 2020
Early production line view showing NS-1 trainers for the Navy undergoing assembly. (Kansas Aviation Museum)
small, triangular wood strips were attached to the leading edge of the lower wing panels to achieve that requirement.
In the wake of flight trials, the Navy approached senior officials of the Stearman company and sought a quote to build trainers similar to the Model 70, but with minor modifications that included installation of aging but available Wright J5 radial engines rated at 200 horsepower. These changes transformed the Model 70 into the Model 73, and in May 1934 the Navy placed an order for 14 airplanes designated NS-1, plus spare parts and assemblies to construct another 20 of the primary trainers.
The contract marked a major turning point in the brief history of the Stearman Aircraft Company. Senior officials were hopeful that the initial order would be only a first in a series of aircraft for the military. When the company released information to the public, the Wichita Eagle newspaper was quick to recognize how important the new business would be to the city:
“Drama lies behind the simple, businesslike announcement of the factory for Wichita, metropolis of the Plains, this is accorded a large part in the up building of the nations’ sea forces more than a thousand miles away. Despite determined work on the part of Wichita plane
The cockpit of a NS-1 reveals the overall layout of flight and engine instruments and controls. (Kansas Aviation Museum)