The story
Interstate Aircraft and Engineering of El Segundo, California, built the Cadet as a tandem two-seat high-wing trainer. The 50 hp S-1 prototype first flew in April 1940 and proved underpowered, so the production S-1A got a 65 hp Continental. The Army bought 250 of the S-1B1 version as the L-6 Grasshopper and used them stateside, never shipping them overseas. In the late 1960s Arctic Aircraft bought the type certificates and turned the design into the Arctic Tern bush plane, certified in 1975.
On December 7, 1941, instructor Cornelia Fort was teaching a student in an Interstate Cadet near Pearl Harbor when a Japanese plane flew straight at them. She grabbed the controls and pulled up over it, then landed at John Rodgers Field as fast as she could while bullets spattered around her.
Quick answers
How do you identify a S-1 Cadet?
High wing on V-struts, tandem seats under a glazed cabin, tailwheel gear, and a fully cowled nose with no cylinder heads showing. The wide, rounded wingtips and rounded fin are its signature lines. Lookalikes are the Cub and the Aeronca Tandem; an Arctic Tern is the same family with a much bigger 160 hp engine.
What does a S-1 Cadet sound like?
A smooth 65 hp flat-four, steady as a flight lesson.
How fast is the S-1 Cadet?
Top speed is 93 kts (107 mph) (S-1A).
How many passengers does the S-1 Cadet carry?
Up to 1. A typical layout is Two seats in tandem.
How far can the S-1 Cadet fly?
Range is about 304 nmi (S-1A).
How big is the S-1 Cadet?
It is 24 ft 0 in long and 35 ft 6 in across the wings.
When did the S-1 Cadet first fly?
Its first flight was in 1940.
How many S-1 Cadets have been built?
574 (incl. 250 Army L-6s) built.
How rare is a S-1 Cadet in Bogey?
COMMON. Everyday traffic. You will catch plenty of these, and every first catch still counts. Your first S-1 Cadet catch is worth 25 points.
