Great Planes Gee Bee R-1
Scott Stoops [email protected]
As the second in the Gee Bee line of racers designed and built by the Granville Brothers, the 1932 Gee Bee R-1 is one of the most recognizable and popular racing designs. It features a unique teardrop-shaped fuselage that more closely resembles an engine with wings than the sleek Thompson Cup seaplanes against which it competed.
The R-1 won the 1932 Thompson Trophy Race and briefly held the land speed record with a top speed of 296 mph in the Shell Speed Dash. With that high performance came challenging handling traits that ultimately cost the lives of a few pilots, yet the famed Jimmy Doolittle once said of the R-1, "She's the sweetest ship I've ever flown."
A replica R-1 piloted safely by Delmar Benjamin for many years in air shows proved the design could be flown with precision and safety in the right hands. The ElectriFly Gee Bee EP receiver-ready (Rx-R) model shares many of the full-scale airplane's traits but is easier to fly. Built from molded AeroCell durable foam, it nearly identically replicates the full-size outline. Install your receiver, complete final rigging, charge the battery, and go fly. At this price, it’s an attractive option for anyone who wants an innovative version of the famous racer.
This park-flyer-size racer is a winner.
Construction
The Gee Bee is almost fully assembled out of the box and can be ready for flight in an hour. The hollow-molded AeroCell fuselage houses preinstalled rudder and elevator servos on a plywood radio/battery tray. The AeroCell foam wing is pre-joined and houses two fully rigged independent aileron servos.
Aileron servo extensions and a Y-harness are preinstalled and routed into the fuselage after the wing is mounted. The wing secures to the fuselage with a nylon bolt. Battery access is through a top-mounted magnetic hatch for quick and easy battery changes. The motor and ESC are preinstalled in the fuselage and ready to plug into your receiver of choice.
One unique feature is the extensive use of magnets to secure components. The horizontal stabilizer is built in two halves that fit together on carbon rods; each half has magnets embedded in the foam that mate with magnets in the fuselage for a secure attachment. Each main landing-gear leg fits into the bottom of the wing and uses magnets to attach the individual wheel pant halves around the wire landing leg. The most convenient use of magnets is to attach the cowling to the fuselage—no aligning or drilling for fasteners; the magnets snap the cowling into place and stay secure during flight.
Final rigging includes mounting your receiver with the included double-sided tape, securing your flight battery with Velcro tabs and a Velcro strap, and connecting the rudder and elevator pushrods. Follow the recommended control throws when setting up your radio. The Gee Bee is somewhat short-coupled, so I added 50% exponential on the rudder and elevator to smooth responses. I later reduced the rudder exponential to increase responsiveness.
Only the optional flying wires require gluing. They make the design pop but require you to keep the removable main wing installed for transportation. The wires are silver elastic cord routed through preinstalled tubes in the wings, wheel pants, and fuselage, making them cosmetic and nonfunctional. Expect to spend roughly 30 minutes routing, gluing, and setting the tension on this added scale feature.
One step not in the instruction manual that I highly recommend is adding adhesive to the plywood motor box and the joint where the motor box attaches to the fuselage. I found these areas lacking adequate adhesive. For an easy fix, soak the joints with thin CA, followed by a fillet of medium CA to ensure a tight bond.
Flying
I admit I was intimidated by the little Gee Bee before the first flight. Reading the stories about the full-scale airplane, I expected it to be touchy.
The first takeoff required more rudder than anticipated, but after trimming and reducing rudder exponential, it became tame. Although roughly the size of a park flyer, the Gee Bee performs best on a paved runway or firm, short grass. I've had several nose-overs in longer grass; the airframe proved durable. One nose-in broke the prop and dented the motor mount but was easily repaired.
In flight, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better scale park-flyer-size airplane. It is comfortable ripping by on race passes and on a wingtip in the turns. Follow the recommended throws because the model has a high cube loading and will snap roll if you're uncoordinated and pull too hard through the corners.
The Gee Bee loves high-speed aerobatics: loops, rolls, point rolls, Cuban 8s, and reverse Cuban 8s. The stock power system is well matched and allows for the scale aerobatics you may have seen Delmar fly in his replica in the 1990s, while leaving the brushless motor and ElectriFly 3S LiPo battery only slightly warm. I didn't have enough rudder for sustained knife-edge flight but had plenty for long hesitations during point rolls. Snap rolls are slightly loose but recover quickly when the elevator is relaxed.
In the landing pattern, keep your speed up until you're comfortable with its slow-speed performance. The aircraft slows nicely but may feel somewhat faster than other park flyers because of its small size. I hold some power on until safely in the flare, instead of making a dead-stick gliding approach.
If you need to go around, slowly and smoothly add power. Adding power quickly causes the airplane to yaw left from spiral slipstream and P-factor, which can cause loss of control if you're unprepared. The elevator has plenty of authority for the flare and will pin the tail through the rollout.
Conclusion
The ElectriFly Gee Bee EP is appropriate for most intermediate-level pilots and makes a great sport airplane for those with a taste for the unique. It will turn heads at the field and put a smile on your face. Although I prefer flying traditional aerobatics, I can see the appeal of ripping around pylons with this airplane. An RC version of the Thompson Trophy Race would be a lot of fun with the Gee Bee.
If you're looking for an exciting and fun model of one of the most recognizable airplanes ever built, the ElectriFly Gee Bee EP is a great choice.
--Scott Stoops [email protected]
AT A GLANCE ...
SPECIFICATIONS
- Model type: Semiscale ARF
- Skill level: Intermediate/advanced pilot
- Wingspan: 38½ inches
- Wing area: 241 square inches
- Airfoil: Semisymmetrical
- Length: 27 inches
- Weight: 1¾ to 2 pounds
- Power system: Stock brushless motor and ESC with 10 x 7 propeller
- Radio: Four-channel transmitter and receiver required; includes four preinstalled servos
- Construction: Molded foam
- Covering/finish: Prepainted scale details
- Street price: $159.99
TEST-MODEL DETAILS
- Motor used: Stock brushless outrunner (included)
- Battery: ElectriFly Tower Series 2200 mAh 25C 3S LiPo
- Propeller: ElectriFly 10 x 7 propeller
- Radio system: Four SNS-2309S servos, Futaba R617FS FAAST receiver, Futaba 12Z transmitter with TM-14 RF module
- Ready-to-fly weight: 34 ounces
- Flight duration: 7 to 8 minutes
- Wing loading: 20.8 ounces/square foot
- Wing cube loading: 16.1
- Amps: 27
- Watts: 321
- Watts per ounce: 9.22
- Watts per pound: 148
PLUSES
- Scale looks and performance
- Innovative design using magnets for many attachment points
- Well-matched power system
- Durable construction and quick assembly
MINUSES
- Inadequate adhesive in the motor-box area
MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR
- Hobbico
Box 9021 Champaign, IL 61826 (800) 637-7660 www.greatplanes.com
SOURCES
- ElectriFly
(800) 637-7660 www.electrifly.com
- Futaba
(800) 637-7660 www.futaba-rc.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
