Between 1936 and 1944, the Stearman Aircraft Division of Boeing in Wichita, Kansas built 8584 of these two-seater biplanes, plus the equivalent of about 2,000 more in spares. During World War II, the Stearman biplane made an ideal trainer for Army and Navy pilots. After the war, many Stearmans were used for crop dusting. Today, about 900 of these rugged airplanes are still in service. Both of the planes we flew in were built in 1943.