Page 34 - March19

Profile view of the C2M before delivery to Varney Air Lines in July 1927.
Assigned Fleet Number 8, the Stearman biplane was quickly placed in service on
the tortuous C.A.M. 5 route between Elko, Nevada, and Pasco, Washington. One
drawback of early production Wright J4 radial was mounting of the two magne-
tos on the front of the engine, subjecting the units to moisture and contaminants.
Control rods for the aileron system are visible forward of the windshield.
(Wichita State University Libraries and Archives, Department of Special Collections)
But I can say that Wichita is an
almost ideal location and has better
flying weather than California.
There are no fogs or mountains here.
I’ve always liked the town and the
people in it, and it seems a great deal
like coming back home to be here.”
By the end of 1927, the old
Stearman Aircraft, Inc., of California
had been renamed the new
Stearman Aircraft Company of
Kansas, and at last, the future looked
bright. The national economy was
booming, flying fever was sweeping
the country, and people had money
to spend. It looked as though the
excesses that defined the “Roarin’
Twenties” would never end. 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.
32 •
­ KING AIR MAGAZINE MARCH 2019