N5415

Purchased by Ben Eielson from Noel Wien to go in service for Alaska Airways Inc. This Stearman served villages having issues with diphtheria in 1931 then was the first to land on Mt McKinley in 1932. With an open cockpit, the pilot and passenger would have trouble breathing if flying over wildland fires. The pilot's condition, the airplane came close to hitting a bridge but was fortunate enough to land in Fairbanks safely. It was in a wreck in 1937 then recovered by Jack Wilson during the 1960's and restored to flying condition by the Kares and sold to the Alaska Aviation Museum in 1991.