1929 Stearman Model 4E

Owner/Pilot: Sarah "Pancho" Wilson

Stearman NC667K is currently the oldest surviving Model 4, having been delivered to the Richfield Oil Company on October 28, 1929. The aircraft was flown exclusively for Richfield Oil by their chief pilot Dudley Steele as a promotional vehicle for their sponsorship of the Jimmie Allen Flying Club and the Jimmie Allen Air Races.

Richfield Oil was the leader in aviation products and established the first aerial lighted beacon route providing a "lane of light" to help pilots find their way along the Coast from Mexico to Canada.

The Richfield Oil Company created their own advertising medium with the radio program the Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen in the 1930‘s & 1940‘s. The weekly radio program was about a young pilot named Jimmie Allen who was a high-flying, crime-solving, international air-racing 16 year old.

The idea for this boy-pilot came from two World War I flying aces, Bob Burtt and Bill Moore and their air adventure series was sold to Richfield Oil and Skelly Oil. Aviation was a growing trend in the 30's and radio was the perfect medium to promote it as aspiring aviators flocked in droves to their local Richfield and Skelly Service Stations to obtain their "flying lessons" and request the weekly printed newsletter. There was even a movie released by Paramount Pictures in 1936 called "The Sky Parade" about Jimmies’ airborne antics.

Jimmie Allen was a messenger at the Kansas City Airport being mentored by veteran pilot and WWI ace Speed Robertson. Along with Speed and mechanic Flash Lewis, mysterious encounters and sky-high adventures ensued to the delight of young listeners everywhere, including Mickey Rooney and Shirley Temple who were members. Jimmies’ immense popularity inspired the creation of a Jimmie Allen Flying Club and it offered a number of great premiums. Over half a million members received the club's weekly newspaper, as well as games, cards, wings, emblems, patches, flight charts, and personalized letters from Jimmie himself. In fact, they could even buy model airplane kits at their local Richfield gas stations and build them to participate in the Jimmie Allen Air Races. More than half a million fans showed up to watch young contestants race their model airplanes.

Jim Kimball Enterprises has undertaken the project of restoring the Richfield Oil Model 4E to its original condition and will be completed in spring of 2012. Once completed, NC667K will return to its original public relations mission attracting a new generation to aviation.