Gee Bee R2 (oz16011)

About this Plan

Gee Bee R2. Radio control sport-scale model racer, for .20 engine. Wingspan 41-1/2 in, wing area 320 sq in.

Quote: "The Gee Bee .20 is a great looking sport-scale plane of a classic Golden Age racer. It uses traditional balsa and ply construction. The plane is stable in flight and yet is quite capable of any aerobatic manuever you can imagine. Sport scale Gee Bee, by Adrian Page.

I prefer the look of a model airplane without its muffler and engine hanging out in the breeze. This led me to look for aircraft with radial cowls; there's lots of room so the engine and the muffler can be fully enclosed. I also like the fast and colorful planes from the Golden Age of air racing, and the most famous of all - the Gee Bee R2 - met all my requirements.

When I designed the prototype, it was only my third season flying R/C, so I wasn't sure of my ability to fly an exact replica. This would also be my first low-wing plane, so I decided to make my R2 a simple-to-build sport scale. The complex rudder is gone as are the elliptical wings and wing root fairings.

Because I wasn't sure whether my OS .20FP could blow air past an 8-inch-diameter cowl, I reduced this dimension to 6-1/4 inches; the wingspan and overall length are about scale. Even with these changes, no one has mistaken it for a Piper Cub yet.

CONSTRUCTION: The plane has a simple constant-chord, D-tube wing and a stick-and-former fuse-lage. Anyone who has built a few kits should have no trouble with its construc-tion. Remember: weight is the enemy, so choose your stock carefully.

Wing: The main part of the wing (excluding the tips) is 36 inches long, so you can cut 36-inch balsa sheets and sticks in half with no waste. All ribs are the same for simplicity. Make 16 of them, cut-ting four from medium-hard balsa for the land-ing-gear mounts. The rest should be quite light.

Cover one half of the wing plan with waxed paper; then pin a 1/4-inch-square shim over the spar location on the plan. Cover this shim with a strip of wax paper, pin down the trailing-edge sheeting, and glue the 1/4-inch trailing edge on top. Use the ribs to align the bot-tom spruce spar over the shim, and pin the spar in place. Leave the center rib loose, but glue the rest of the ribs to the trailing edge and bottom spar. Install the top spar and the 1/4-inch-square leading edge. Glue the wing-bolt blocks and top trailing-edge sheet into place.

Use a small square to set the center rib at the correct angle, remove the wing from the board, remove the shim, and block up the top 3/8 of an inch.

Install the 1/16-inch front bottom sheeting, and add the shear webs. Now you can glue the landing-gear mounting parts in place. Install the front dihedral brace by carefully cutting away part of the center rib. Pin the root rib down with the trailing edge touching the plan, and place a 3/16-inch shim under the tip of the trailing edge; now sheet the top of the wing. This will add the required washout. Build the other wing panel the same way... "

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 13/5/2025: Added advert, thanks to PatrickFlynn.

Quote: "Attached is an advertisement for the kit version of the R2 by Adrian Page for which the plan was recently posted. I thought you might wish to add it. Note the other related Gee Bee planes. Regards,"

Supplementary file notes

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