33% Super Stearman

Based on Bill Baber's 450 HP Super Stearman

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Brief Project History

Like many of the airshow flyers of that era, Bill experimented by modifying existing trainers and sport planes, giving them the show business treatment with flashy paint, wheel pants, speed cowling and often a smoke system. Bill always purchased air show planes based on the design, not the airplane itself.

Bill Barber developed a large collection of aircraft. Where most pilots would upgrade their air show mount and sell the previous one, Bill had such affection for his aircraft that he kept them. Many were stabled in his fleet of working air show machines - from an 85 HP Clipped Wing Cub and a Curtiss Falcon to a Bücker Jungman, a Pitts Special S1S and this project his famous 450 HP Super Stearman.

There were occasions where Bill flew four of his airplanes at the same show, shifting gears and techniques to accommodate the best features of each aircraft and still maintaining a commitment to safety. The distinctly different power-to-weight ratios and flight characteristics of each aircraft made this a rare talent -- and it is still rare today.

Bill performed many different acts in his Clipped Wing Cub alone, including skywriting, a dead-stick routine, a comedy act, a rope ladder pickup, and a car-top landing. He also performed team aerobatics and a wing-walking routine. He once performed 14 different air show acts during a two-day show near Chicago. This uncommon ability prompted one aviation writer to dub him "Aerobatic Flying's Renaissance Man" .

Construction Photo Details