Gee Bee: Model Y
IN THE LATE 1920's and early 30's, the Granville Brothers of Springfield, Mass. built a series of aircraft that were destined to become the most famous racing aircraft of all times. The well known R-1 and R-2 Super Sportsters racing craft have probably received more coverage in aviation publications than any other single aircraft. The Super Sportsters came about as a result of success attained with earlier aircraft built by the company which were raced in various racing events. The first Gee Bee aircraft to enter in a race was the model "X" Sportster powered with a Cirrus engine. Its success prompted a series of single-place sport planes powered with various engines including the Cirrus, Menasco and Warner powerplants. Eight of these Model "D" Sportsters, as they were called, were built.
Gee Bee Senior Sportster Model Y: Part 1
IT HAS been four years since my first Model Y Sportster appeared in the March 1976 issue of Model Aviation. This first Model Y was flown in many contests and proved to be a consistent winner. I followed this with a model of the Model D Sportster which also added impressively to my trophy collection. In searching for documentation of these first two Gee Bee models, I came in contact with Bob Granville who was one of the five famous brothers who designed and built these aircraft in the early 1930s. Bob and I became very good friends and he loaned me good pictures of these little-known aircraft which I have had copied.
Gee Bee Senior: Sportster Model Y - Part 2
IN THE previous issue we went through the procedure for building the fuselage, engine cowl, and landing gear. Now we will complete the construction, finishing and detailing and then flying the craft. Wing: All ribs are cut from 3/32 balsa except for the four 1/8 ply ribs A-1 which support the landing gear mount. The four 1/2 × 1/4 spruce spars are marked for rib positions and the ribs are slid onto the spars. Support the bottom spars on two equal size blocks (3/4 sq. or similar). Use one block near wing root and one near the D or E rib. This keeps the structure true as it is worked on.
Gee Bee R-1 Super Sportster
"The other Granville brother." That's the reference sometimes given to the author-and it is a fitting one in view of the number and variety of Gee Bee RC models he has built and flown. This one is a Quarter Scale version for a .90 engine of the airplane which won fame for itself and Jimmy Doolittle at the 1932 National Air Races, Part 1.
Gee Bee R-1 Super Sportster
IT MUST BE KEPT in mind throughout the building of this model that the less the weight, the better the performance will be. The prototype, which weighs 141/2 lb., flies very well. With improvements that have been made in the plans and a little care in wood selection, the model could probably be built at 13 lb. Just be careful with major stress areas, like the wing spars and stab! Construction is pretty straightforward, but the fuselage will need some explanation. I decided to use a structure very similar to the real R-1 to keep the model as light as possible. Follow these steps:
