Gee Bee Racer (oz15432)

About this Plan

Gee Bee Racer. Radio control sport scale model. Wingspan 43-3/4 in, for .20 engines and 4 function RC.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Quote: "Hello again, Steve and Mary, Another plan for you, a sports scale Gee Bee Model D, entitled 'Gee Bee Racer', that was published in the winter 1988 edition of RC Scale Aircraft Quarterly.

It's very stand-off scale, lacking distinctive features like the bracing struts and wires but it'd be a great club model and one that could easily fit into most hatchbacks fully assembled. It wouldn't be too much of a challenge to add the missing features if the builder wanted a more representative replica, or it could be built as-is and enjoyed.

The plan wasn't in the best condition when I received it, having been drawn and written on and with tears along the fold lines. I've done my best to fix it. Cheers, Dilwyn"

Update 25/7/2024: Added article, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "A racing throughbred in miniature. Build Dave Skertchley's model for four function radio and 20 to 25 engines.

EVEN I WAS FAMILIAR with the gross, overpowered Gee Bee racers of the early thirties, but it was not until quite recently that I discovered the whole inspiring story of the racing Gee Bees. The massive R1 and R2 Sportsters were the ultimate designs sponsored by the Springfield Racing Association and built by the little company of Granville Brothers Aircraft Inc.

The story started in 1927 amidst the gangsters and molls of prohibition America. The City of Springfield Massachusetts was anxious to attract its fair share of work during the rapid expansion of the aviation industry after Lindbergh's transatlantic flight. The Springfield Racing Association was formed with this in mind by the City Council to sponsor local entries in the lucrative National Air Races then being held.

The first racing Gee Bee was a rather pretty little single seater, with an uncharacteristic inline engine, called the model D. This was flown in the 1930 Cirrus Derby by Lowell Bayles. He was killed one year later flying a model Z (this was basically a model D with a huge 1340 cu inch Pratt and Whitney Wasp engine). It was hardly surprising that the reason for the crash was structural failure during a speed record attempt. This type of careless heroism characterizes the story of the racing Gee Bees and inspired the choice of the pretty model D as my latest project.

I prefer to limit my modelling to simple 20 powered scale or semi-scale models of practical design. Publicly I attribute this to demands on my time from job, young family, etc, whereas in fact I am rather ham-fisted and cannot seem to achieve that wondrous attention to detail which so sets the efforts of the experts apart. These non-perfect scale models have gained the Lee Bees Club nickname of 'Boddington Scale', a rather uncharitable reference I feel.

The practical design features of the Gee Bee include a good solid undercarriage, a long nose to aid balance point positioning, and a generous wing area to slow down the landing speed. The construction is very conservative in approach but of light weight. It relies on the covering for strength, so nylon or Solartex covering are essential.

Construction: Fuselage: The fuselage construction owes a lot to Gordon Whitehead's Fly Baby (oz7511) design. The fuselage sides should be constructed over the plan, leaving gaps where the formers are to fit during fuselage assembly. The right hand fuselage side should be built first in the following order: 3/16 stringers, front spacers, front 3/16 fill, 1/8 stringers, tail post, rear (notched) spacers, and finally the 1/ 16 sheet fill in under the cockpit. For the left hand side the 1/8 stringers should be left until last. Now fit f1 and f2 into their correct positions in the fuselage, then before the joints are dry slot engine bearers through the formers and glue in place with slow drying epoxy. Check the assembly for square and leave to dry.

Now fit formers 2, 4, 5, 6, & 8. Join the fuselage at the tail post and fit formers 9, 10, & 11 (a and b), also fit the main 1/8 x 1/4in top and bottom stringers. Fit the remaining 1/8in sq stringers and the 2 butting stringers between the fairing and fuselage top.

This is really fiddly, but patience will prevail - just! Cut out the fin and stabiliser and fit these to the fuselage, adjusting the stringers to make a good fit. Quite a lot of careful filling and cutting was necessary to achieve a neat joint between the tail and fuselage. Sheet the front of the fuselage and fill the wing seat area with scrap balsa fitted around the wing nut retainer.

The cowling is made up using blocks of balsa carefully sanded to shape. The drawing indicates the split line that I chose, this has the major advantage that access to the engine, fuel tank and firewall are also easy. Do not forget to leave a large inlet and outlet duct for engine cooling...."

Supplementary file notes

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