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Proud Members of:

Iowa Bed & Breakfast Guild

Iowa City Chamber of Commerce

Iowa City Convention & Visitor's Bureau

Step back in time to the Golden Age of aviation! 

Bask in the luxury of our Stearman Suite, a 450 square foot, one-bedroom suite with a warm 1930s ambience.  Complete with Jacuzzi hot tub, full kitchen, breakfast bar, queen-sized bed,  and fold-out hide-a-bed couch in the living room, you will not lack for any amenity.   And you will have ample room in your dining area to enjoy our signature delivered-to-your-suite continental breakfast each morning of your stay!

The era between the World Wars was a time of rapid aeronautical advancement.   Speed records were falling weekly, and Lindbergh, Earhart and a host of other pioneers were pushing the limits of duration and distance.

Into this rarefied atmosphere the the Stearman Kaydet was introduced in 1934.  A 2-seat biplane built in Wichita, Kansas by the Stearman Aircraft Division of Boeing, it was already obsolete by the time of its first flight.  Despite this fact, its rugged and simple construction made it an unexpected success as a flight training aircraft in World War II.   Between 1936 and 1944, Boeing built 8,584 Kaydets, plus the equivalent of another 2,000 in spare parts. (Click here to view several Stearman videos...)

During the war both Iowa City, and the Ottumwa Naval Air Station just to our south, were home to hundreds of Stearman trainers.  The skies over Iowa City often swarmed with as many as 50 biplanes at once!   Today, several hundred are still flying, but with just three remaining locally.  These are privately owned and used for both recreation and airshow appearances.

Our suite's centerpiece is a giant wooden Stearman propeller, donated by local Iowa City businessman Jon Ockenfels.   Jon owned his Stearman for less than 24 hours when a brake locked up during taxi and nosed over, smashing his prop into the tarmac!   Today his "distressed" prop lends our suite an ambience and flavor that can't be beat.

Starting at just $99.95 per night...

Click here to see a schematic floor plan of the Stearman Suite...

Click to Reserve the Stearman Suite!

Your living room -- with a fold-out couch.	Artwork over the couch	Jon Ockenfel's "distressed" Stearman prop	Jon in flight with his Stearman -- the source of our prop	Keith Roof welding up the special bracket for our Stearman prop
Another Iowa City Stearman in the shop for annual inspection	Stearman artwork in the bedroom