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Gee Bee Racer R1 |
| $230.00 $180.00 $135.00 (Currently Sold Out. Inquire for availability) |
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Gee Bee Racer R1 Desktop Model Plane
SKU: NC10293
The Gee Bee Racer R1,deriving it's name from a shortened form of "Granville Brothers" and a resemblance from a bumble bee, was among the fastest planes of the day and won many air races including the Thompson Trophy of 1931and 1932.
Delivery 7 to 10 days
Product Description
Code: NC10293
The Gee Bee Racer R1 (also known as the GB Sportster), sometimes nicknamed The Flying Silo due to the short, fat fuselage resembling that type of farm storage building, was a special purpose racing aircraft made by Granville Brothers Aircraft of Springfield, Massachusetts.
The R-1 won the 1932 Thompson Trophy race, piloted by Jimmy Doolittle. He also set a new world landplane speed record of 476 km/h (296 mph) in the Shell Speed Dash. The distinction of a landplane record was noteworthy because, at that time, specialized speed seaplanes outran landplanes. But the R-1 rapidly earned a reputation as, potentially, a very dangerous machine. The small wings, very low polar moment of inertia, and tiny control surfaces made for an aircraft that could rapidly get away from all but the most skilled pilots. Unfortunately, this shortcoming was common to most air racers of the day.
From their inception in the early 1930s to the present day, the Gee Bees have remained among the most controversial airplanes in aviation history. While some scholars and aircraft enthusiasts have continued to consider them "killer planes," others admire their advanced aerodynamic designs and argue that several skilled pilots safely flew the Gee Bees to several key victories and records. Regardless of how one views the brief history of the 22 Gee Bees, it seems that there will always be a wide range of opinions about the well- known racers.
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