xradarusa

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RichardGee, thanks for the engine advice. Right now it is either a DLE-170 or a DA 170.

Down the street from my house a fellow is building a real Gee Bee R1. He is doing a fantastic job on it..........Steve Wolf is lending advice and helping I believe. Engine is already test run and it just needs the covering and paint to be flying. I was surprised how scale the outline of the Hostetler is. Only deviation found so far in comparing the two is that the airfoil on the Hostetler is extremely thick. Maybe this will make the Hostetler Gee Bee R2 a bit more flyable..........we will see.

Alex

xradarusa

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Made much progress on the R2 in the last month. Now just have to install the remaining servos, final detailing, and then test run the engine.

Am seeking advice on the first flight. Do not currently have an airplane with a wing loading even close to this Hostetler Gee Bee. Have flown plenty of giant scale and also flew ducted fans back in the 90's. Will probably have to go back to Seattle to test fly it as the local field is not nearly large enough.

Any advice on the maiden flight would be much appreciated.

Alex

slevin1

My Feedback: (23)

I have the great planes Gee Bee & the Great Planes 1/3rd scale Pitts special. The Gee Bee flies just like the Pitts Special meaning you need to have a landing that is fast & loses altitude gradually on final.

Saul

RichardGee

My Feedback: (156)

Alex,
It is looking GREAT! What engine did you decide upon and what do you anticipate final weight to be? Did you build this from a cut kit or did you cut all the parts? If it was a kit, who cut it?

As far as being prepared to fly it, just be very comfortable with rudder inputs - IF you do not routinely fly with rudder (as in IMAC and 3D manuevers) you may find the Gee Bee will get ahead of you[X(]

You should also practice landing ALOT with a plane that you cannot simply chop throttle and glide in on final - you must be very comfortable with the act of flying the plane down on to the runway and continuing to stay ahead of and control it until it is slow enough to turn and taxi.

In all honesty, NOTHING prepares you for the Gee Bee other than staying AHEAD of it at all times - NO relaxing at all! Engine reliability is mandatory and you MUST be able to directionally control the plane right down to the runway (MUCH easier said than done, but that is the goal).

Just remember that your landings may not be perfect, but if the plane survives w/o damage, THAT is a great landing!

xradarusa

My Feedback: (8)

Thanks Richard,

All parts were handcut by myself and the weight will be somewhere around 40 pounds. I installed a 3w-157 and am using extremely expensive Hitec servos throughout.

It has been a fun build and I would highly recommend the project to everyone. Have had a blast building it. Construction is very straightforward and there are very few problem areas.

Am going to buy a real camera so I can get some quality pics as the cell phone I am using is not getting it.

Alex

Snotkop

Hi Guys, i am a new member to your forum , i live in South Africa and are currently building the Gee Bee. I Am using the short kit supplied by kit cutters,and i also procured the fibreglass parts and u/c from the u.s.a. I Am about halfway with the fuselage and will post pics asap. Would apreciate any advice, and will gladly share my building experience . The aircraft certainly looks awesome.

xradarusa

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Great to see that you are also building the Gee Bee. Please post some pics when you get the chance as I am really interested in your build. If you have any questions be sure and let me know. I cut a ton of lightening holes in the fuse box and stab core. I just wish that I had lightened the R2 even more as I am going to weigh in at 40 pounds. It is built like a tank.

Alex

Snotkop

Hi Alex, Greetings from S.A. Here are some pics i have taken with my cellphone. I have not cut lightening holes in the stab, but i did limit the ply doubler size only to the attachment point on the fuse box. The stab is very strong as is, and this seems to keep the weight down somewhat. I was dissapointed with the quality of the wood overall, and struggled to maintain uniformity while making the fuse box, but it came out straight after all. It is not a difficult plane to build so far, but some areas gave me some head scratching.

xradarusa

My Feedback: (8)

Looks really good, nice job. You are almost to the fun part, the sheeting. I had to use a lot of ammonia to get around the front of the fuselage. That rudder is not very easy to sheet either. Great job and please keep me posted as you make progress.

Alex

Snotkop

Thanks for the compliment Alex, i must say i am looking forward to sheet the fuse, hope mine looks as good as yours when finished. I already made the templates for the skin to cover the tapered nose section, took me a while though. I also note there are no detail on the plan for the wing filets, hope you can give me some pointers there. I wish i had more time to spend building the gee bee, but plan to have it finished before July. I hope to power it with a DLE 170 or similar engine, i gather from the forum the gee bee is a power hungry beast, probably down to the small wing and high wing loading.

Brahm

xradarusa

My Feedback: (8)

Hi Brahm,

I think a DLE 170 would be a great choice for powering the Gee Bee. Was just trying to test run the 3w 157 and am having trouble finding tie down points for the airplane. My helper said that it was trying to drag him along at half throttle.

As far as the wing fillets go, they were framed up with formers from 3-views. I then sheeted them and finished them off with some lightweight balsa filler. I think that they could look better and you might be able to devise a better system than I did. Foam might come out nicer. Let me know what you come up with.

Alex

WacoNut

Alex,
I run a 3W-157 in my 33% Waco and they do pull. I used a heavy duty dog leash looped aroung the fuse just ahead of the tail fathers and attached that to a screw in dog tie-down in the yard. It held up well to the engine during the break in period. My wife got tired of holding the Waco in about 3 minutes
Anthony

Snotkop

Thanks for the advice Alex, i realy do apretiate it. One of the main problems we have here is our high alt, ( 4500 ft/asl ) therefore, as experienced with some of my other models, it is wise rather to overpower the model than try and fly it full bore all the time with recomended power options. I think with the gee bee this wil be compounded. My model wil probably also exceed 40 lbs due to the lack of a wide variety of wood available from local hobby shops, therefore its a case of i must take what i can get, especialy the 1/32" sheets used for sheeting the airframe. On the positive side, i hope the model wont be too sensitive to a slight weight increase, its size and power to weight ratio will hopefully help to produce a great flying plane.

I am almost finished with the rudder and elevators, then i only have a few minor tasks to complete on the fuse before the sheeting can begin, will ad new pics shortly, thanks again

Brahm

xradarusa

My Feedback: (8)

Thanks for your advice Anthony, I did exactly as you recommended and it worked just great. I never would have thought of using a heavy duty dog tie-down. It also keeps the tail down and probably saved a prop. Many thanks.

Alex

RichardGee

My Feedback: (156)

I noticed you guys have NOT been duplicating the full scale Gee Bee R2's RIGHT FIN offset into your builds.

Whether this was by accident or by choice, I would say it was a GOOD MOVE. The right fin offset is ideal if all you plan to do is go fast and turn left (as this aircraft was originally designed to do), but in most other flight modes, the fin offset is a handling hindrence.

Engine right thrust is absolutely necessary with the Gee Bee, but leaving off the right fin offset is a good move for sport and aerobatic flying.

Snotkop

I Agree with you Richard, as this was going to be my next point of concern, interestingly the plans show no recommended side or down thrust.

Snotkop

Alex, your plane must almost be ready for its maiden flight, good luck!

RichardGee

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IMHO the Gee Bee R's do in fact require right engine thrust. NO down thrust is necessary nor would it be helpful to you if you have built in the 2.5 degrees positive wing incidence.

The right fin offset is overkill and only helpful when banked left at full power. In all other flight modes, you are fighting the right fin offset unless throttle/rudder mix is added.

xradarusa

My Feedback: (8)

Still have a little ways to go on the final details on the R2. Work has been really busy and it will be some time before the maiden flight.

Very observant Richard, I followed the plans and built the Gee Bee with no right fin offset. Did add right thrust though. Quick question for you Richard. Are the control throws on page 31 of the CARF Gee Bee manual about right? I was going to set my throws up a little higher as I always do on test flights but was told that is a horrible idea for this Gee Bee. Would appreciate your advice. Thanks.

Alex

RichardGee

My Feedback: (156)

YES, the control throws are about right.
IF you prefer the 'cushion' of programming more throw should the need arise, you can dial in about 40% expo which will soften things up around neutral.

IF the Hostetler flies anything like the CARF and even my scratch built 25% Haffke (modified for scale accuracy) then you will find that rudder is VERY effective. On both my Gee Bees, rudder deflection induced a downward (negative) pitch, so do not be alarmed if you experience this. Elevator is also fully effective right up to the stall, then it is as if you have no elevator at all[X(]

Ailerons are slow at the initial settings, but plenty effective all the way down to landing speed. You may want to increase throw for faster roll rate after a few flights, but keep in mind the Gee Bee has aileron reversal at higher angles of attack; this will be exasurbated with increased aileron throw. If you put ailerons on separate channels, the Gee Bee will benefit from some aileron differential (more up than down), but I do not have the specific amounts for you. 10% would be a good starting point.

The Hostetler should be a mroe forgiving, less quirky handling plane than the CARF since it has a much thicker airfoil.

I REALLY look forward to flight reports and even a video, as the Hostetler is on my "absolutely to-do" list

RichardGee

My Feedback: (156)

I should have added the following:

Dial in some UP TRIM for your initial flight. As I stated in the manual, "a climbing Gee Bee is much better than a diving Gee Bee"
This will also guard against a nose over on take off, which can wreck your prop, your engine's crank shaft, and the rest of your day...[]

EXPECT to feed in right rudder on take off. I know this seems obvious, but every Gee Bee I have ever seen take off for the first time (including mine) veered to the left because NONE OF US was ready for just how much right rudder was going to be required!
This does not suggest you start your take off roll with a bunch of right rudder held in... bad idea. This is to give you a heads up to be ready to STAY AHEAD of the plane.

The Gee Bee R2 (and R1) require FOCUS to fly 100% of the time; more so when taking off and landing, but this is NOT an airplane you can relax with, EVER.

But that is also why an experienced skiier avoids the Bunny Slopes and goes for the Matterhorn runs!!! LOTS more focus and effort... LOTS MORE EXHILARATING and REWARDING[8D]

RichardGee

My Feedback: (156)

Question for those building this plane:

Did you purchase the fiberglass parts from Fiberglass Specialties? What do you think of the quality and scale fidelity?
IF not, from whom did you get the parts?

Gear from Sierra Precision?

xradarusa

My Feedback: (8)

Thanks for all your advice Richard, I plan on following it as closely as possible. The CARF Gee Bee manual you wrote has some great info in it also. Will dial the throws down a bit and set them up as per your recommendation.

The fiberglass parts were purchased through Fiberglass Specialties. Very nice even though there were a few pinholes in the cowl that required filling. Sierra Precision for the gear, Fibertechnmore makes a great looking canopy (tried fabricating my own which did not work out), and Cajun RC for the graphics. Have not applied the decals yet but they do look sharp and he will match your red.

Can't resist one more cell phone pic while waiting for my camera to arrive.

Alex

RichardGee

My Feedback: (156)

ALEX,
IT LOOKS GREAT! The markings will be the icing on the cake!
Were you able to get a final flying weight? What fabric and finish did you use?
Did you cover the entire structure in fabric or only the open framework? Did you glass the rest?

Is the engine thoroughly broken in and RELIABLE?

What was your overall impression of the parts match to plans and to each other?

ARUP

Very nice! Good luck with the maiden. I'm sure you will do just fine.