The "Yellow Peril"

The original Stearman "Kaydet," as it was known by the U.S. Army, was equipped with the 220 Lycoming R-680 engine ('R' for rotary or radial), produced by E.L. Cord, best known for his innovative and distinctive Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles.
Even though the engine was under-powered and the little plane's design was already outdated when the war began, it was so sturdy, forgiving and reliable for training purposes, it was quickly adopted by the military and manufactured by Boeing, its parent company, in Wichita, Kansas, which produced over 8000 for the United States. The plane was also sold to the governments of Canada, China, the Philippines, Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil for military use.
In 1940, to avoid a shortage of Lycoming engines, the Army specified alternate engines, the 220 Continental R-670 and the 225-horsepower Jacobs R-755.
The Army's version was known as the PT-13, PT-14 or PT 18, depending on the power plant, while the Navy's version was the N2S. Both planes were identical except for the colors and engines. The fuselage of the Army's plane was painted a medium, or "Air Corps" blue, the wings bright yellow and horizontal red and white stripes on the rudder.
The Navy chose to paint its entire plane a blazing chrome "safety" yellow with a bright red band around the fuselage and two red stripes on the top wing. The predominant yellow color and unpredictable consequences inspired the first cadets to quickly rename it the "Yellow Peril."
In the U.S., each plane was crated and shipped to military airfields, where it would be assembled in one designated hangar and pushed onto the flight lines. As many as 300 would be in the air at once at any one of the flight schools, taking off six to eight abreast simultaneously.

Don't miss out on any of the excitement of Flights of Angels. For more excerpts see: Stearman Airplane, Billy's First Night Flight, NAS Pensacola, and WWII Planes.