Comp-ARF Gee Bee ???

[GMoney]

	Quote: Originally Posted by SleepyC
	Hey a bit off the "model" topic and more about the real plane. Anyone know the purpose behind the plane? I mean what made the first builder/designer go SO outside the norm? I'm interested!

Go REALLY FAST and turn LEFT!!!!!

[SleepyC]

NONONONONO...

I know what they were for...

I'm saying.. what made the guy say.. Hmmmmmmm... I think I'll blow the fuse out by 300%.

I mean, I don't know... perhaps I'm missing something, but to me.. sleek and thin says SPEED to me... My question above was actually trying to ask:why the radical design? What lead to the fuse being so fat.

[aviti]

A guy had one here in St Louis a few years back. There's probably a video of him flying it floating around online still. The plane only flew a few times and crashed on landing I believe. I did personally witness it land and roll out without nosing over once. I also saw a video of a guy in MN flying his. He was pretty comfortable with his. Was doing all kinds of stuff with it...tons of knife edge. I think he knew how to land it pretty well also. That would be the guy to learn from if you can find him. I think he owned a hobby shop in the Twin Cities of MN. Last time I was up there I couldn't find the hobby shop so it may have closed.

[yonatan]

	Quote: Originally Posted by SleepyC
	Hey a bit off the "model" topic and more about the real plane. Anyone know the purpose behind the plane? I mean what made the first builder/designer go SO outside the norm? I'm interested!

Gee Bee stands for the Granville brothers of the Granville Brothers Aircraft Company.
these guys made a lot of race planes during the years 1930's
the famus ones were thr R-1 and R-2 wich gave james doolittle a win in the thompson trophy flying at 252mph to the finish line.
"GO FAST" was the main motivat in the brothers work.
there is a lot to read on these brave brothers on the web,hrer are some links:
http://www.geocities.com/capecanaver.../geebeer2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granvil...thers_Aircraft
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/es..._Bees/EX23.htm
cheers
Yonatan

[Neogenesis]

	Quote: Originally Posted by SleepyC
	NONONONONO... I know what they were for... I'm saying.. what made the guy say.. Hmmmmmmm... I think I'll blow the fuse out by 300%. I mean, I don't know... perhaps I'm missing something, but to me.. sleek and thin says SPEED to me... My question above was actually trying to ask:why the radical design? What lead to the fuse being so fat.

My guess would have to be with the LARGE radial engines that were available in that day. They were the only ones making the huge horsepower and that may have been what the designers were looking for. The fuse isn't much larger than the engine.....so my thought is that that airframe was designed specifically around that engine. It would be interesting to see the difference between the R1 and R2 and how much clearance there actually is in the cowling.

Also on the thin and sleek note.....they were around in the day....but the GeeBee outran them all.


Neo

[Vic3D]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Neogenesis
	Also on the thin and sleek note.....they were around in the day....but the GeeBee outran them all. Neo

I think the GB outwidowed them all too.

[torquen]

Sleepy, I have a awesome book that explains all the designs and history of each Gee Bee somewhere around the house. I have not seen it since I moved around a few years ago though. But the Gee Bee R1 and R2 were pretty much the same plane. One was made for cross country racing and the other for the track. The design came from the most aerodynamic figure in the world. Its designed after a rain drop. The designer decided he would model the plane after a raindrop because a raindrop forms its own shape while falling through the air. The Gee Bee's were so ahead of their time. If I find the book Ill post the info.
Garrett

[Freddy Warbird]

Along with Yonatan's links, here is a great site for knowledge on the Granville bro's.
The Granville Brothers and Their Fantastic Airplanes.

There are a lot of misconceptions regarding loss of life due to the Gee Bee design.
Lowell Bayles piloted the Z model (which is my personal favorite) and yes, was killed flying it, but read about how, and why.

[Freddy Warbird]

	Quote:
	Originally Posted by SleepyC NONONONONO... I know what they were for... I'm saying.. what made the guy say.. Hmmmmmmm... I think I'll blow the fuse out by 300%. I mean, I don't know... perhaps I'm missing something, but to me.. sleek and thin says SPEED to me... My question above was actually trying to ask:why the radical design? What lead to the fuse being so fat.

Here is the answer:
"It was a widely known engineering fact that the ideal shape for a body moving through a fluid was teardrop with a ratio between length and diameter of 3 to 3.5 to one, so Granville and Miller did a study to determine how close they could come to the ideal teardrop that had an engine, wings, landing gear, cockpit and a tail attached to spoil the airflow around it. " Brief histoy of the Gee Bee Sporter

[Mokken]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Walt
	Several years ago a friend of mine ordered one of these, then Fiberclassic's. At that time we were told of one flying that would be in St.Charles Ill. at a giant fly in. We went to see this plane fly in person. The trip ended up being disasterous for the R-1 and we came home and my friend cancelled the order. We are in the process of doing a "Y" model which is said to be a very easy handling plane. We'll see shortly..Good Luck, Walt

Very nice plane, how much for the garage door?

[Freddy Warbird]

Check these pic's out! Delmar having fun.

R2 in Flight in Reno

[SleepyC]

	Quote:
	Here is the answer: "It was a widely known engineering fact that the ideal shape for a body moving through a fluid was teardrop with a ratio between length and diameter of 3 to 3.5 to one, so Granville and Miller did a study to determine how close they could come to the ideal teardrop that had an engine, wings, landing gear, cockpit and a tail attached to spoil the airflow around it. "

Wow.. good info.
Makes sense now.