The Stearman Model 6 Cloudboy was a 1930s

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

training biplane designed and built by the

Stearman Aircraft Company Stearman Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer in Wichita, Kansas. Although the company designed a range of other aircraft, it is most known for producing the Model 75, which is commonly known simply as the "Stearman" or "Boein ...

of Wichita, Kansas.

History

The Cloudboy was designed as a commercial or military trainer. Due to economic pressure during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, only a few aircraft were built. Three civil models were built, followed by four similar aircraft for evaluation by the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

. Designated YPT-9 by the Army, it failed to gain any orders. All models went through a number of engine changes (resulting in new designations for both the military and civil aircraft).

Variants

;Model 6A Cloudboy :Initial civil production with a Wright J-6 Whirlwind 5 engine, three built. ;Model 6C Cloudboy :Re-engined with a Wright J-6-9 Whirlwind (R-975-1), also designated YBT-3. ;Model 6D Cloudboy :Re-engined with a

Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a displacement of ; initial versions produced ...

, also designated YBT-5 ;Model 6F Cloudboy :Re-engined with a

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engine, also designated YBT-9A. ;Model 6H Cloudboy :Re-engined with a Kinner YR-720A engine, also designated YBT-9C. ;Model 6L Cloudboy :Re-engined with a Lycoming R-680-3 engine, also designated YBT-9B Stearman YBT-5

;Model 6P Cloudboy :One 6F re-engined with 1

Wright J-5 The Wright R-790 Whirlwind was a series of nine-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engines built by Wright Aeronautical Corporation, with a total displacement of about and around . These engines were the earliest members of the Wright Whirlwin ...

engine ;YPT-9 :Military production variant of the Model 6A with a Wright J-6 Whirlwind 5 engine, four built (one converted to YPT-9A, one to YPT-9B, one to YBT-3 and one YBT-5). ;YPT-9A :One YPT-9 re-engined with a

(YR-545-1) engine, later converted to YPT-9B. ;YPT-9B :One YPT-9 and one YPT-9A re-engined with a Lycoming R-680-3 engine. ;YPT-9C :YBT-3 re-engined with a Kinner YR-720A engine. ;YBT-3 :One YPT-9 re-engined with a Wright J-6-9 Whirlwind, later converted to a YPT-9C. ;YBT-5 :One YPT-9 re-engined with a

Pratt & Whitney R-985-1 Wasp Junior The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a displacement of ; initial versions produced ...

engine. ;XPT-943 :A primary trainer derived from the 6A for evaluation at

Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Loc ...

. Formed the origins of the Stearman NS and PT-13 for the US Navy and USAAC respectively. ;X-70 :Alternative company designation for the XPT-943.

Operators

; :

Surviving aircraft

* 6002 – 6L airworthy at the Candler Field Museum in

Williamson, Georgia Williamson is a city in Pike County, Georgia, United States. The population was 681 in 2020. History The community was named after Isaac Henry Williamson, an early settler. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Williamson as a town in 1908. ...

. * 6003 – 6L airworthy at the

Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum The Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum (WAAAM) is located in Hood River, Oregon, United States, adjacent to the Ken Jernstedt Airfield, Ken Jernstedt Memorial Airport. WAAAM is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to the prese ...

Hood River, Oregon Hood River is a city in and the county seat of Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 8,313. It is the only city in O ...

. It was previously owned by the Golden Wings Flying Museum. * 6004 – YPT-9B on display at the

Yanks Air Museum The Yanks Air Museum is an aviation museum dedicated to exhibiting, preserving and restoring American aircraft and artifacts in order to show the evolution of American aviation, located at Chino Airport in Chino, California. History A pair of F ...

Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino's surroundings ha ...

. It was previously owned by the Boeing School of Aeronautics and was acquired by the museum in 1987. * 6010 – 6C airworthy with Robert Lock of

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...

Specifications (YPT-9B)

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

Aerofiles - Stearman

Aerofiles - Cloudboy 6A photo

San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives - Cloudboy 6C photo
{{Wright Field project numbers Cloudboy 1930s United States military trainer aircraft Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1931