Biplanes in World War II

A number of biplane types were still in military service when World War II began in 1939. Most were soon with­drawn, although there were exceptions. The last frontline biplane with the U. S.

Navy was the Curtiss SBC Helldiver, a dive bomber that was still flying at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The Curtiss Seagull scout plane served with the U. S. Navy from 1933 until the end of World War II. This aircraft had the unusual distinction of outlasting at least two later designs intended to replace it. So did the Fairey Swordfish torpedo plane, which flew from British aircraft carriers during World War II naval battles, despite hav­ing a top speed of only 138 miles per hour (222 kilometers per hour).

Many wartime pilots learned to fly in a two-seater biplane. The De Havilland Tiger Moth, first flown in 1931, was still in use in the early twenty-first century.

Another very successful trainer biplane was the Boeing/Stearman Model 75, which became the standard World War II trainer for the U. S. military.

О Vintage biplanes are used today for recreation and for aerobatics demonstrations. These airplanes are flying while tied together.

Lloyd Stearman started building biplanes in 1927, and the Stearman Company became part of Boeing in 1939. Being slow and safe to handle, the Boeing/Stearman Model 75 was ideal for pilots who were learning basic flying skills. Ten thousand Model 75s, known unofficially as Kaydets, were built before 1945. After the war, many Model 75s were sold to the air forces of other nations, while others ended up as agri­cultural airplanes.