I posted the same question some time ago, but here I go again…
I need any interior detail of a GEE BEE R1…please…
There has to be someone out there that can help me[?][?]
doc,
There is a pilot who built an exact replica of the Gee Bee currently touring the air shows. If you can find him and his Gee Bee he may have a web site and pictures. Try searching the web using “Gee Bee”, airshow, and also aircraft museums. One of the museums in the U. S. has a Gee Bee, but I cannot remember which one.
Try the Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum in Cleveland Ohio (U.S.). I think they have a Gee Bee in their collection, but I do not remember for sure. They have several aircraft from the Cleveland Air Races, and the “Golden Age of Aviation”. I am sure they have a web site.
The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (U.S.) may have one in their collection, or at least have pictures. Hope this helps, rangerj
Thanks for the help, most of the internet searches I have tryed has a lot of external pics but not what Im after!! Its amazing how ‘GEE BEE R1’ can come back as ‘The Bee Gee’s’!! crazy…
I think the airplane at the Crawford Museum in Cleveland is a Wedell-Williams, although it has been 20 years since I have been there.
The San Diego Aerospace Museum is building a GeeBee from scratch, if anybody would have references, they would! Also the curator is a modeler!
You can make some assumptions if you can’t find good photos, though. It’s a welded steel tube airplane covered with fabric, so the tubing will be visible and probably painted gloss black. The tubes are welded up in a bridge truss, go to Aviat Aircraft and check out the Pitts S2B parts catalogue http://aviataircraft.com/cat_Model.asp
The fuselage is rounded out using wood stringers, so they will be between the tubing and the fabric, placed at the ridges in the fuselage fabric. Throttle, mixture and carb heat will be on the left side tubing, and control rods will run from there to the engine and most likely will be bare metal. Other than stick and rudder pedals and a seat belt, there isn’t much else. I don’t believe the R1 had a shoulder harness.
You could probably come close to the actual interior without any references at all!
Thanks for the advice but accuracy is what I’m after, near enough is not good enough for this little black duck.