While I think that the GB is mostly a ridiculously overpowered and cartoonish caricature of an airplane, I'm still fascinated with it.

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When Delmar did the spin testing on the SPORT CUB at Cubcrafters I was flying chase for him and also carrying the videographer. On one of our breaks for fuel he told me that the R-2 he built was a sweet flying airplane with little of the bad tendencies that its reputation carried. He wouldn't have gone to a zero altitude airshow waiver if it had. Great airplane and Delmar is a great pilot.

When we lived in New York State my father told me that he had attended the 1932 Clevland air races and watched Jimmy Doolittle fly the Gee Bee Racer in person.

Cool Video

Did ya notice how much he was moving the rudder on take off?

Tito wrote:Did ya notice how much he was moving the rudder on take off?

Like a salmon going up the falls.

Tito wrote:Did ya notice how much he was moving the rudder on take off?

Pretty sure the tail wheel was neither steerable or lockable, so brakes and rudder was what you had. I wouldn't want to be jabbing on the brakes of anything that is that short if I had an option.

a64pilot wrote:

Tito wrote:Did ya notice how much he was moving the rudder on take off?

Pretty sure the tail wheel was neither steerable or lockable, so brakes and rudder was what you had. I wouldn't want to be jabbing on the brakes of anything that is that short if I had an option.

Even that said....I've flown a 170, 180's/185's and a Pacer with non-functional tail wheel steering. Never needed that much rudder to keep the tail behind me.

Holy Crap that thing must be a handful.

Squawk1200 wrote:

a64pilot wrote:

Tito wrote:Did ya notice how much he was moving the rudder on take off?

Pretty sure the tail wheel was neither steerable or lockable, so brakes and rudder was what you had. I wouldn't want to be jabbing on the brakes of anything that is that short if I had an option.

Even that said....I've flown a 170, 180's/185's and a Pacer with non-functional tail wheel steering. Never needed that much rudder to keep the tail behind me.

Holy Crap that thing must be a handful.

Hell if it was easy everyone would have one

Been to enough air shows to get somewhat jaded, but I always watched Delmar and that Gee Bee!

That's a cool video, though I've yet to make up my mind about how I really feel about the plane

Very cool video. Read Jimmy Doolittle's biography. Its a great read and in it he describes the Gee Bee as one of the most dangerous planes that he ever flew and probably the closest he ever came to completely loosing control of an airplane.

I also think they are the coolest looking plane from our history, it is too bad they got such a bad reputation.

That was a whole lot of rudder he was using, and with seemingly little response until he was going real fast!!!