Stearman aircraft are twin-seat biplanes first built in the mid-1930s and popularized by their use as a trainer for military pilots. Thousands of these aircraft rolled off assembly lines and introduced American pilots to the fundamentals of being a pilot. When the war ended, thousands of surplus trainers went on to do every civilian job from crop dusting to barn-storming aerobatics. Ease of maintenance and great handling made them popular wherever they went.