PAGE AVIATION: Gee Bee

"From the moment it takes off to the moment it touches down, THIS IS A GREAT FLYER."

Build a piece of history

WITH THE 1932 THOMPSON TROPHY RACES looming, Granville Brothers Aircraft took a chance on hiring newly minted engineer Howell W. "Pete" Miller. Under the tutelage of the eldest Granville brother, Zantford (known as "Granny"), Miller and the other Granville brothers set out to build two new planes for the upcoming races. They were Models R-1 and R-2, and both were to be powered by engines borrowed from Pratt & Whitney.

The R-1 was designed around the new R-1340ci 9-cylinder, 800hp engine. Built for all-out speed, it was to compete on the short-range Thompson Trophy pylon-racing course. The R-2 was destined for the longer Bendix Trophy race, so it was designed around the R-985ci, 535hp P&W engine, which burned less fuel than its bigger brother; this allowed the R-2 to fly faster and make fewer stops. Other than their engines, the central difference between the two was that the R-2 held 302 gallons of fuel for the longer course, while the R-1 held only 160.

THE KIT

I have been a fan of the Gee Bee for a long time, and I jumped at the opportunity to review Page Aviation's kit. The rolled plans consist of two sheets of detailed drawings. The 14-page instructions include a parts list, detailed instructions and 49 photos showing various stages of construction. A two-piece fiberglass cowl, precisely laser-cut wooden parts, plastic wheel pants, a sheet of good-quality decals and all the necessary hardware complete the package. You can also purchase optional fiberglass wheel pants; they're very durable and are great for grass flying fields on which the runways are inevitably bumpy. To improve the Gee Bee's scale looks, a plastic dummy engine that fits inside the cowl is also available from Page Aviation.

CONSTRUCTION

*Wing Construction starts here; it was neat to be able to fit the parts together and see how they looked before gluing them. I had both panels framed in about an hour, and I did the finish-sheeting and wingtips the next day. The wing houses the two aileron servos. Install a paper tube for the wing servo leads; it makes it much easier to thread the leads through the wing. I joined the panels, giving them 2 ½ inches of dihedral as called for on the plans, and then I fiberglassed the center section. You will construct the belly pan after you've built the fuselage.

*Fuselage frame Carefully punch out the fuselage parts and then join them with clothespins (I used about 40). At this point, the fuselage is very fragile, so be careful. After you've glued on the top and side formers and added a few stringers, the fuselage will be very strong. I also made sure that I shimmed in 3 degrees of right thrust for the engine.

Next, I sheeted the body; the ¼-inch sheeting that goes around the fuselage nose to the firewall required a little persuading. Follow the instructions; soak it in water and tape it to an appropriate form until it has dried. Be sure to extend the fuselage stringers past the last former by 1 inch because the rudder will fit inside these stringers. The fin is built as part of the body, and if you don't follow the instructions, the rudder won't be straight. Mount the wing on the body and install the belly formers; use wax paper to keep the wing/belly pan and fuselage separate. I molded wet balsa around a piece of 5/8-inch-diameter dowel to make a set of wing-bolt tubes. I coated the tubes with epoxy to strengthen them.

Making the wing fillets isn't difficult; it just takes a little time. A plastic front fillet for the scale shape is supplied, so you don't have to make one.

*Tail feathers and landing gear The tail-feather construction is fairly straightforward: punch out the parts, and glue them together over the plans. I dry-installed the stabilizer to check its fit, and when I was satisfied with that, I set the stabilizer aside to be installed after I had covered the fuselage.

Using the plans for reference, adjust the prebent gear legs so they'll fit properly, strap them to the wings, and solder them together; I used copper wire to strengthen the solder joints. The fairings were designed to be as true to scale as it's possible to make them. It's a good idea to get the wheel alignment correct by assembling the wheel pants before you glue the rear pant to the fairing.

*Cowl The fiberglass cowl comes in halves that must be joined. I cleaned the mating surfaces with acetone (lacquer thinner works too) before I joined the halves with Zap's Fiber Epoxy. I installed the motor on its side, bolted the pie-shaped cowl mounts to the firewall and positioned the cowl over them. With all the parts lined up, I tacked the cowl to the cowl mounts with CA; then I removed the cowl (with mounts) and glued the mounts permanently to it using Fiber Epoxy.

*Final assembly I covered the plane with Balsa USA Solartex, and I fiberglassed the wing fairings to ensure a smooth finish. I sprayed the model with Rust-Oleum high-gloss paint because it covers well and is fuelproof.