Gee Bee Model D Sportsters

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             by Ron Peterka, NASA no. 869

With the worldwide fame of the Granville Brothers "Gee Bee" racing aircraft, it came as somewhat of a shock to me when I learned that the total production of all models of Gee Bee aircraft came to just twenty two aircraft. Nine of these were biplanes and the next most numerous were the eight single place model D and/or E "Sportsters".

In 1930 Lowell Bayles, a well known race pilot, Zantford (Granny) Granville, and Bob Hall got together enough money to begin construction of a racer to compete in the All American Air Derby, a 5,541 mile cross country air race sponsored by the American Cirrus Engine Company. The twenty five foot span black and white with orange pin striping Gee Bee X Sportster aircraft (NR49V) was designed around an inverted, supercharged, four cylinder, Cirrus engine rated at 110 HP. Length was seventeen feet four inches overall. With the small, high-performance engine, the plane was capable of a 145 MPH top speed.

Bayles flew the little craft to a second place finish in the Derby and shared a $7,000 prize with the Granvilles. The Gee Bee racing dynasty had been born.

With the Derby racing success fresh in their minds, the Gee Bee factory proposed a line of Sportsters powered with a choice of in-line engines ranging from a 95 HP Menasco, to a 135 HP Fairchild 6/390 with speeds up to 160 MPH. Eventually, installation of radial engines was planned. The early aircraft used unfaired 20x9 balloon type tires in a fixed strut landing gear while later versions used a hydraulic strut in a streamlined fairing. No flaps were used.

Two Boston businessmen, Harold Moon and George Rand, placed orders for the first two production Sportsters. Moon's tan and dark brown with red pin striping copy of the X model (NR854Y) was first to be completed and utilized a Cirrus Hi-Drive engine. Rand's red and white with black pin striping aircraft (NR855Y) was next and was powered with a Menasco C-4 engine instead of the Cirrus. Since it had a different engine it was designated a model C (the early biplanes were models A and B). Radial engine versions were designated model 'E'.

Another blue and cream with red pin striping Sportster (NC11043) was built, and to facilitate requirements for getting an Approved Type Certificate (ATC), was designated a model D. This aircraft appears to be the only one actually built as a D model and included a fully faired hydraulically sprung landing gear with an enlarged rudder and vertical fin. The D model aircraft was sold to a Massachusetts car dealer named Charlie Pain. George Rand later converted his C model to D model specs to get a commercial (NC855Y) registration.

Subsequent Sportsters were built with radial engines and were designated model E Gee Bees. A total of four in-line engine and four radial engine Sportsters were built and none are known to exist today.

For awhile a ninth aircraft was believed to have been built, based on photos appearing to show NC11041 as a registration. This was later proved to be a photo of NC11044 (a model E) with reflections obscuring portions of the ending number four causing it to look like a one. The NC11041 registration was assigned to a totally different manufacturers aircraft. Additionally, a pair of Senior Sportsters were built in a two place configuration with larger wings and longer fuselages to be designated model Y aircraft.

With the variety of color schemes to pick from, very favorable moment arms, easily enclosed engine cowl, and excellent wing area, the D models should be great flying scale aircraft. Model E aircraft were painted Green and White, Blue and Yellow, and of course the familiar Red and White with Black pin striping scheme. Nearly identical scalloped designs were used on all Gee Bee aircraft beginning with several of the biplanes. A 1/5 scale version would span 60" and a 1/4 scale version would span 75".

References for this article came from the Henry Haffke book "Gee Bee, the Real Story of the Granville Brothers and their marvelous airplanes, VIP Publishers 1989", "The Gee Bee Racers, Mendenhall/Murphy, 1994 Specialty Press, and various articles acquired over time (some supplied by Stan Alexander, NASA V.P.). The enclosed three view is from the Haffke book.

This article was originally written for and printed in the "Replica" newsletter of the National Association of Scale Modelers May/June 1997 issue. The Replica allows reprinting of its contents in other aeromodeling publications with credit given the author and the newsletter.