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Thread: where have all the Stearman restorers gone

  1. #1

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    Goggles Stearman restoration resources?

    Since Jack Davis, SRA President went west, looks like the SRA has gone fully to sleep. So where do Stearman folks have an on-line forum or other virtual meeting place?
    The old Stearman Restorers website is up but everything seems way outdated and you get no email response, just a request for payment to belong or join the old forum??
    Last edited by Hans; 03-13-2015 at 07:28 PM.

  2. #2
    The SRA replaced their forum with new software. Here is a link to the new forum:
    http://www.stearman.net/fusetalk4/forum/index.cfm

  3. #3
    crusty old aviator's Avatar
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    You could make pals with the nice folks at Air Repair... Most of the Stearman folks have gone West. CJ Alexander, who sold microfiche of the entire set of factory drawings, passed ten years ago. If you read Buck's memoir, Flight of Passage, you'll learn that the "Stearman men of the West" have been gone a long, long time.

    I restored an AN75, back to stock condition, in the early 80's with Bob Lee in Florida. We sold her through TradeAPlane, representing her as stock. When some dope would call and ask what kind of radios she had, Bob would reply, "what part of stock do you not understand? The Stearman had no radios in 1941, so she has none now, you @#$%, &*$#@, &^#% moron! Stick with driving around in your Cherokee: you're too ignorant to handle a Stearman!" and he'd slam the phone down and cackle to himself for a few minutes. We eventually sold her to Mid-Continent in Hayti, MO. Later, some goomer pitched a big tent at Oshkosh (back before Tom "rebranded" it AirDisney) and put his Stearman under it. The old girl looked like a Tijuana taxi: she had old Stinson lanterns mounted on her N struts and about $30K of gold plating on the struts, etc. Ol' Bob asked the owner, "Is this yours?" and he proudly confirmed it was. Bob looked him in the eye and shouted "You butchered it!" and walked away (the plane was gawdy: a pimp in a shiny suit with his string of trollups would have not seemed out of place beside it).

    I wish you well with your restoration. Try not to improve your old gal with a bunch of sparky things like wires and everything they attach to...

  4. #4

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    thank you all for responding,
    I had hoped to learn who has taken over the Stearman Restorers Association, who is moderating and who is collecting the money. Anonymous seems kind of odd for an entity which collects money first and shows nothing about its content before PAYPAL has been charged.

    Hans
    original SRA # 847

  5. #5
    Jim Hann's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by crusty old aviator View Post
    Later, some goomer pitched a big tent at Oshkosh (back before Tom "rebranded" it AirDisney) and put his Stearman under it. The old girl looked like a Tijuana taxi: she had old Stinson lanterns mounted on her N struts and about $30K of gold plating on the struts, etc. Ol' Bob asked the owner, "Is this yours?" and he proudly confirmed it was. Bob looked him in the eye and shouted "You butchered it!" and walked away (the plane was gawdy: a pimp in a shiny suit with his string of trollups would have not seemed out of place beside it).
    I think I have a picture of this atrocity, if it is the same one. It was there my first year, 1987. Let me look for the shot.
    Jim Hann
    EAA 276294 Lifetime
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  6. #6
    Jim Hann's Avatar
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    Found it...

    Name:  Oshkosh 1987 The Phoenix.jpg
Views: 1840
Size:  20.7 KB
    Jim Hann
    EAA 276294 Lifetime
    Vintage 722607
    1957 Piper PA-22/20 "Super Pacer"
    Chapter 32 member www.eaa32.org
    www.mykitlog.com/LinerDrivr
    Fly Baby/Hevle Classic Tandem


  7. #7
    crusty old aviator's Avatar
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    That's the old trollop, Jim...I'm referring to the bird in the tent, not the gal in hot pants. I recall he had lights inside and lit the whole thing up at night.

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