Aircraft Profile: Boeing Stearman
The Boeing Stearman is a two-seat biplane trainer widely used by the United States military during World War II. Known to many pilots as the Kaydet, it was used for primary flying training before pilots progressed to more advanced aircraft.
Constructed with a steel frame, fabric covering, Canadian spruce wings and a nine-cylinder radial engine, the Stearman was designed by Lloyd Stearman and built by the Boeing Company in Wichita, Kansas. More than 8,000 were produced.
Stearman EI-HFD
EI-HFD was built in 1942 at Boeing’s Wichita, Kansas factory and delivered to Pensacola, Florida. It served as a primary trainer for United States military pilots during World War II. After the war, the aircraft entered private ownership in the United States and was later flown at airshows in California during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
In 1981, the aircraft was acquired by a classic aircraft collector and based in the UK, where it flew on the airshow circuit. In 1999, following Ryanair’s delivery of its first Boeing 737-800, Tony Ryan and Cathal Ryan acquired the aircraft and named it The Spirit of Tipperary.
Tony Ryan made a significant contribution to Irish aviation. After joining Aer Lingus in 1955, he established Guinness Peat Aviation at Shannon in 1975, helping to develop Ireland’s role in the international aircraft leasing industry. He later co-founded Ryanair, which expanded low-cost air travel in Europe and strengthened Ireland’s connection with commercial aviation.
The IHFF acquired EI-HFD in 2016. The aircraft is preserved as an example of a widely used wartime training aircraft and as part of Ireland’s wider aviation heritage.