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The Gee Bee Airplane Company Exhibit, the Gee Bee "Model D" Airplane. |
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Tour
Page 5
From
the Book
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| In the spring of 1931, Granny attended Pearle's college graduation in Durham, New Hampshire. Shortly after, he went off, flying the newest small Sportster (NC11043) to air shows and races. The plane was a "Model D" with an in-line Menasco Pirate C4 engine. Because of its agility and its special fuel system for inverted flying, Granny thought the plane was capable of skywriting. For the first time, the little sport plane was seen to have potential as a commercial plane. But before going to the expense of adding a smoke system, he wanted to confirm his newest idea with the best skywriter in the business. Lewis Meler, famous for his "Lucky Strike" cigarette script, could be found in New York City. Mr. Meler took the Gee Bee through a flight test of imaginary skywriting and declared it perfect. Granny flew home to install an apparatus which injected oil and chemicals into the exhaust, where it burned, causing smoke. A trigger on the joystick controlled the release of the mixture. Upon its return to New York, Meler demonstrated the Sportster for the Skywriting Corporation of America. Zantford was delighted to see "Gee Bee" scrawled over Manhattan but disappointed when they did not purchase the plane. For now, the company was making no changes. | ||||||
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Gee Bee "Model D" Airplane
Sponsored Links
Scanned by C. Jeff Dyrek Gee
Bee Sportster ("Model D")
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Gee Bee Airplane Model Z Specs. |
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Pratt
& Whitney "Wasp" 1/8 Kit
This was a record setting power plant for many Golden Age racers
and military aircraft. Plastic kit is molded in two colors and consists
of more than 200 parts. Includes nine cylinders, crankcase, two magnetos,
carburetor, fuel pump, starter, propeller hub, display mount and much more.
Assembly required.
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| Gross Weight 2280 lb Empty Weight 1400 lb Useful Load 880 lb
Seats 1
Length (overall) 15 ft 1 in Cowl Diameter 46 in Span 23 ft 6
in Root Chord 50.4 in Rib Spacing 5.5 in Spar Spacing 25.5 in
Airfoil M-6 Incidence Angle 3 deg Dihedral Angle 4.5 deg
Wing Area 75 sq ft Aileron Area 9.5 sq ft Stabilizer Area 8.4 sq ft Elevator Area 6.9 sq ft Fin Area 2.2 sq ft Rudder Area 4.9 sq ft Landing Gear Travel 6 in Tires 23 inch Goodrich 6.5 x 10 Wheel Tread 71.75 in Wheel Fairing Width 10.5 in Top Speed 270 mph, Runway Requirement 5000 ft @ SL Range 900 sm
Powerplant P & W Wasp Jr Production 1 First Flight 8-22-1931 Construction -Chrome Moly steel tube fuselage. - Covered with fabric. Flight Controls Rudder - Cable Actuated Ailerons - Torque tube actuated Elevator - Push pull tube and double cables. Notes: - Winner of 1931 Thompson Trophy at 236.24 mph - Qualification speed for 1931 Thompson (level flight, 1 pass each way, averaged) 267.342 mph - Larger 750 hp Wasp Sr, new prop and cowl were installed after the Thompson. |
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Gee Bee Z Racer
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Gee Bee Z Racer
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This white, 100% cotton hat features an
embroidered Gee Bee script logo, just as it was displayed on the famed Granville
Brothers' racers. Includes an adjustable strap with buckle for perfect sizing. |
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Book Description
Here's the inside story of the creation of the Gee Bee R-2 replica, written
and photographed by the men who designed and built it. This star of air
shows is followed from re-creating the original plans through all stages of
construction; on its first test flights; and wowing the crowds at Oshkosh
and other air shows. Packed with original
color photography.
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Book Description Revised and updated to cover the entire line of Granville Brothers projects, including all models of their sport and racing planes. Offers a discussion of the aerodynamic knowledge of the 1930s, versus the Gee Bee replica flown in 1994 in aerobatic demonstrations. |
Granville Brothers
Product Description |
Free Paper Gee Bee Model X Airplane Kit, Click Here
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This shows
how to level the Pitts Aerobatic Aircraft wings, place the wings on the
airplane and adjusting the Flying Wires and Landing Wires.
Exhibit Added 12-Jan-2002
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| Why is it important to look at airplanes? Airplanes, especially planes like the p47 thunderbolt show the rapid growth of technology in the world and in the United States that provided us with the great freedom that we enjoy today. With this freedom comes responsibility. The responsibility to learn all we can not only about airplanes or history, but about technology. Technology is the most important product of the United States has today. To keep our country on top of the worlds technology requires us to have the most trained workforce anywhere. Aviation is important because aviation and aerospace both exhibit the limits of our technology. If our students learn about aviation they will be able to understand any field of work. We must ensure that aviation, airplanes, aircraft and aerospace are words on all of our children's lips. |
| Airplanes create dreams.
Dreams of leaving the restriction of a two dimensional world. Dreams
of having freedom to travel anywhere, in any direction at any time and
any distance. Aircraft give us the big advantage to do all of these things
in only a short while. When we dream of airplanes, we lift our heads
to the sky. We feel the pride of having limitless capabilities.
We don't pick up airplanes, airplanes lift us up and our minds are launched
into new horizons. We need airplanes and we need to keep airplanes
in all of our minds. Aviation gives our people an upward mobility
that no other branch of technology can ever do. As long as we feed
our dreams, we have someplace to go.
C. Jeff Dyrek
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Click Here for a list of WW2 Fighter Groups
Click Here to go to the YellowAirplane Online Museum
Listen to this man to Hear the truth. or Watch this Video and see where we're heading. or Watch This TV Program to hear the latest on where our country is going. Bible Gateway, Read Almost any Bible, In Any Language, For Free, Great Search.
Look at these exhibits and tell me what these men really fought for.
The 34th fighter Squadron
WW2 Exhibit
USS Kitty Hawk Aircraft Carrier Exhibit.
Read the Webmasters Story, Why God Sent Me to the North Pole
Click her to see how I have to live and what it looks like to be
a disabled Vet.
