'Speedmail' bags top award

摘要

Sarah Wilson's 1929-built Stearman 4E 'Junior Speedmail' NC667K was a worthy winner in the Grand Champion Antique category at this year's Sun 'n Fun event held at Lakeland, Florida. One of 40 Model 4s produced by the Stearman company in Wichita, Kansas, most went to oil companies or airlines as high-speed transports, 'mailplanes' or navigation trainers. Sarah's example was delivered to Richfield Oil in California, where it became the flagship for the popular pre-war radio series The Air Adventures of Jimmy Allen, and was flown extensively by Richfield's chief pilot Dudley Steele to promote the programme.