The Stearman PT-17 is a vintage biplane. It was used as a training aircraft in the 1920s and 1930s. I had long dreamed of flying in a vintage biplane with an open cockpit, and now it has finally happened!
Donald Rodier, the owner of the vintage Stearman PT-17 biplane, had been assembling it for about 20 years! He worked on it himself with help from his daughters. Donald says, “I found the fuselage in the USA, and it had been gathering dust there for a long time…” If I understood correctly, he found the wings in Ontario and the engine somewhere else.
In this article, I will include photos and video screenshots only, and you can watch the full video in other publications.
The first surprise during takeoff! I didn’t know that in an open cockpit, you need to wear your baseball cap backward. I barely caught my cap as it almost flew off along with the headset 🙂
I met Donald Rodier at the Aero Gatineau-Ottawa 2023 Air Show. There, we arranged for the video shoot. Good weather arrived, and nature was painted in autumn colors. My family and I decided that this was the best time for the flight. We were absolutely right – the weather, the timing, the season… As you can see, the photos confirm this.
Wonderful weather, wonderful autumn landscape!Can you believe it? Touch and Go somewhere in a farm field at a speed of 131 km/h!The autumn landscape was so wonderful that I didn’t know what to enjoy more – the flight in the vintage biplane or the vibrant colors of nature…Somewhere in the field, we found a tractor and flew around it 🙂After reaching a safe altitude, we performed a stalled turn. Donald Rodier knows his “creation” well and confidently executes aerobatic maneuvers.We’re diving after executing a stalled turn!And now, the highlight of the program – I am flying the vintage biplane! It responds very well. Compared to the Cessna 172 that I usually fly, the biplane is lighter and more sensitive to turbulence. This is also because it has two wings, after all, it is a BIPLANE. 😉I tried how the biplane performs coordinated turns and tested it for roll, yaw and pitch“You have the controls”! In the open cockpit, the intercom doesn’t work very well. The wind blows into the microphones. Sometimes it’s just impossible to understand what’s being said. Because of this, old-fashioned hand signals are still in fashion 🙂We are flying over picturesque landscapes at a low altitude. It feels like something is missing… Of course! We need white scarves, just like the old-time aviators 🙂The shadow of the vintage biplane races across the groundWe returned to our airfield and flew over it. We are coming in for a landing.
My son Alain also wanted to fly in this wonderful biplane!
Flying over the airfieldAlain is controlling the biplane. No, of course, that’s a joke. He is just holding the control stick 🙂
From this wonderful flight in the vintage biplane, Alain and I were thoroughly charged with positive emotions! This flight will remain in our memories forever!
