Granville Gee Bee Model A

Gee Bee Model A
Role	sport/training biplane Type of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Granville Brothers
Designer	Zantford D. Granville[1]
First flight	3 May 1929[1]
Status	retired
Primary user	private owners
Produced	1929-1930
Number built	9[2]

The Gee Bee Model A was an American two-seat open cockpit single-bay

Design and development

The Model A was first aircraft to be developed by Granville Brothers,^[1] and although first impressions are of a fairly conventional biplane, it had a number of unusual features.

The most obvious of these was the side-by-side seating arrangement, in contrast to most two seat biplanes which have the occupants in tandem, with the passenger in front or behind the pilot.^[1] Both occupants shared a single bench seat that spanned the width of the cockpit,^[1] which was fitted with twin headrests.

Because there wasn't a lot of leg room, instead of running the stick up from the floor between the pilot's legs or between the pilot and passenger, it was run horizontally, in a similar manner used on some later bomber and transport aircraft.

The prototype was initially fitted with a borrowed 50–56 hp (37–42 kW)

The outrigger undercarriage oleo struts were attached to the fuselage framework with brass universal joints, to ensure that in an accident, they would shear off without buckling the fuselage framework.^[1][6] This was soon tested when Granny found himself in a snowstorm in February 1930 while flying between exhibitions. He was forced to land the airplane blind and wiped the undercarriage off, splintered the prop, and damaging the two lower wing tip bows, but the fuselage remained undamaged.^[6] The prototype was initially fitted with a skid, however this was soon replaced with a self-locking tailwheel, and all of the subsequent Gee Bees would also use tailwheels.^[4] These could swivel freely for easier ground maneuvering, and would automatically lock into the fore and aft position for take off and landing.

From the beginning, it was seen as essential that the Model A be capable of being fitted with both skis and floats, so that they could use it to visit extended family.^[3] To install the floats, and in absence of the necessary rig, they hoisted the aircraft from a local bridge from the sandbar next to it.^[6] The famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was present to witness their tests with the Edo floats.^[6]

Operational history

The FAA clearance that made the prototype legal to fly was received on 3 March 1929, however since they couldn't fly from the shop where it was built, they had to disassemble it and transport it to the field they were going to use, and reassemble it there, a process that took until the early hours of the next day.^[3] The red and silver^[3] Model A prototype made its first flight of eight minutes with the family patriarch Zantford Delbert Granville (known as Granny^{[11][note 1]}) at the controls, beginning at 3:30 am on 4 March, with neither lights nor parachute.^[3] Asked why he didn't wait for sunrise, Granny said: "I wanted to test her without a crowd of pessimistic onlookers".^[3]

The

Contemporary sources note that it was the first Boston-built aircraft to fly,^[14] but despite considerable local enthusiasm, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the beginning of Great Depression killed any chance it would have had at making substantial sales.^[6] Despite the fame of the later aircraft, more Model As were built than any other Gee Bee model.^[15]

A blue and gold Model A was bought by

Model E Sportster monoplanes.^[16]

• Msn P.8[17] N901K (formerly NC45V, NC15642 and NC901K), the sole surviving Model A, and the last example to have been built, is on display at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.^[18]

Specifications (Gee Bee Model A)

Data from Aero Digest^[5]

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Capacity: One passenger
• Length: 20 ft 7 in (6.27 m)
• Upper wingspan: 29 ft 2 in (8.89 m)
  
• Upper wing chord: 45 in (1.1 m)^[8]
• Upper wing dihedral: 0.0°
• Lower wingspan: 26 ft 3 in (8.00 m)
  
• Lower wing chord: 45 in (1.1 m)^[8]
• Lower wing dihedral: 2.5°
• Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
• Wing area: 185 sq ft (17.2 m²)
• Clark Y^[14]
• Empty weight: 1,060 lb (481 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,650 lb (748 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 26 US gal (98 L; 22 imp gal)
  
• Undercarriage track: 73 in (1.9 m)
• Powerplant: 1 × Kinner K-5 5-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 118 hp (88 kW)
• Propellers: 2-bladed Hartzell fixed pitch wood propeller OR Hamilton Standard fixed pitch metal propeller, 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) diameter

Performance

• Maximum speed: 108 mph (174 km/h, 94 kn)
• Cruise speed: 92 mph (148 km/h, 80 kn)
• Minimum control speed: 30 mph (48 km/h, 26 kn)
• Range: 400 mi (640 km, 350 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 11,000 ft (3,400 m)
• Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s) initial rate of climb
• Time to altitude: 10 minutes 0 seconds to 5,100 ft (1,600 m)
• Wing loading: 8.9 lb/sq ft (43 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 16.5 lb/hp (10.0 kg/kW)

See also

• 1929 in aviation

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Arrow Sport
• Blackburn Bluebird IV
• Caspar C 33
• Robinson Redwing
• Waco A series

Related lists

• List of aircraft
• List of civil aircraft

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Granville Gee Bee Model A.

Notes

1. ^ Both Grannie and Granny are used in the sources, however J. I. Granville spells it with a y.

Citations

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Granville, 2000, p.17
2. ^ Mendenhall, 1979, p.16
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Granville, 2006, p.19
4. ^ ^{a b c} Granville, 2006, p.24
5. ^ ^{a b c d} McLaughlin, 1930, p.102
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Granville, 2006, p.30
7. ^ Granville, 2006, p.34
8. ^ ^{a b c} Granville, 2006, p.27
9. ^ Haffke, 2004, pp.79
10. ^ Granville, 2006, pp.11 & 13
11. ^ Granville, 2006, p.1
12. ^ Juptner, 1994, p.136
13. ^ Juptner, 1981, p.103
14. ^ ^{a b} Mendenhall, 1979, p.14
15. ^ Benjamin, 1993, p.94
16. ^ Graves, Darrell (1999). "Maude Tait". Retrieved 9 April 2020.
17. ^ FAA, 1962
18. ^ Blaugher, 2007, p.20 & 222

Bibliography

• Benjamin, Delmar; Wolf, Steve (1993). Gee Bee. Osceola, WI: Motorbooks International.
  ISBN 087938820X
  .
• Blaugher, Michael A., ed. (2007). Guide to over 900 Aircraft Museums USA & Canada (24 ed.). Fort Wayne, IA: Blaugher. pp. 20 & 222.
  ISBN 978-0974977225
  .
• Federal Aviation Administration (24 October 1962). "FAA Registry N-Number Inquiry Results N901K". Retrieved 5 April 2020.
• Granville, J. I. (2006). Farmers Take Flight (4th ed.). Springfield, Massachusetts: Gee Bee Publishing.
  ISBN 978-0970249319
  .
• Haffke, Henry A.; Robinson, Harry; Benjamin, Robert (1989). Gee Bee – The Real Story of the Granville Brothers and Their Marvelous Airplanes. Vip Aero Pub.
  ISBN 978-0934575041
  .
• Haffke, Henry (June 2004). "Gee Bee Model-A Biplane". Model Airplane News. Vol. 132, no. 6. Ridgefield, CT: Air Age Media. pp. 76–82.
• Juptner, Joseph P. (1981). US Civil Aircraft: Vol. 9 (ATC 801 – 817). Aero Publishers.
  ISBN 978-0830643745
  .
• McLaughlin, George F., ed. (January 1930). "Granville Gee Bee A". Aero Digest. Vol. 18, no. 1. Aeronautical Digest Publishing Corp. p. 102.
• Mendenhall, Charles A. (1979). The Gee Bee Racers: A Legacy of Speed. North Branch, MN: Specialty Press.
  ISBN 978-0933424050
  .