Historic Aerobatic Biplane
Super Stearman ZU-BED.
From the American airshow circuit as The Magic One to the Davidson hangar in South Africa, ZU-BED is a 450 hp Super Stearman with an extraordinary wing-walking legacy.
From America To South Africa
The Magic Never Left.
Before it became ZU-BED, this Super Stearman flew on the American airshow circuit as N62885. Gene Littlefield flew the aircraft while his wife, Cheryl Rae, performed from its wing-walking rig. Together, aircraft and performers became The Magic One — an act built around trust, precision and the unmistakable presence of a large radial engine.
Registration
ZU-BED
Aircraft
Boeing A-75N1
Engine
Pratt & Whitney R-985
Power
450 hp
ZU-BED
Super Stearman Gallery
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Two Lives. One Aircraft.
Built To Teach.
Rebuilt To Perform.
The Boeing-Stearman Model 75 was created to introduce young military pilots to the fundamentals of flight. Its open cockpit, conventional landing gear, fabric-covered wooden wings and welded-steel fuselage made it simple, strong and honest — an aircraft that rewarded precision and exposed every mistake.
After the Second World War, many Stearmans found an entirely new purpose. Surplus airframes moved into agricultural work, where larger engines gave them the strength to carry heavier loads. A select few evolved again into Super Stearmans: powerful aerobatic machines built for smoke, sound and spectacle.
With a 450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior in place of the original trainer powerplant, ZU-BED has roughly twice the power associated with a standard wartime Stearman. That transformation gave The Magic One the performance required for its American display career and the wing-walking act that made it memorable.
The Davidson Chapter
The Story
Crossed An Ocean.
When its American chapter closed, the aircraft crossed the Atlantic and began another life in South Africa as ZU-BED. The wing-walking structure remained part of the airframe — a physical reminder of Gene and Cheryl Rae Littlefield and the performances that had defined its earlier career.
By the 2010 Port Elizabeth Airshow, ZU-BED was back in front of a crowd with Stu Davidson at the controls. It had travelled from the American airshow circuit to the Davidson family hangar, carrying its power, theatre and history with it.
Today, ZU-BED connects two eras of aviation: the disciplined world of the wartime trainer and the fearless creativity of the classic American airshow. It was built to teach, rebuilt to perform and preserved so both stories can still be heard every time the R-985 comes to life.
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