Bipe Flyer

I've been thinking long and hard about what to build for the contest. I've thought about all sorts of wild and wonderful things, but I realized that I was thinking about a potential winner and not necessarily what I wanted to build for myself. So, I've decided to go ahead and build what I would like to have and was intending to build for the first contest before I switched to the Ultimate. A Gee Bee Senior Sportster.

ajcoholic

My Feedback: (10)

Wow Bipe, thats too cool! I never even knew about those G B models...

So, what size, engine, etc? I know I know, wait and see.... If its anything close to the Ultimate, it will be one of the ones to beat....

AJC

BMatthews

Do the one with the Townend ring cowl. Those always look SOOOOO funky....

You guys are making me lean towards a concept I had a while back to blow up a plan for a rubber powered Boeing F4B and make it for the contest. But if I do that it's gotta have a THROTTLE. Time to see if the Medallions with the throttle sleeves will run.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

GOOD CHOICE MR BIPE! I saw one for the first time doing slooooow rolls over the runway at ARLINGTON a couple years ago. He was at 50' , and took the whole runway to do one roll. Wonder where all the air from the prop goes, it looks like it gets consumed by the cowl! If you did a G-BIPE, you wouldn't need any cabane struts...the GB would make a great addition to your fleet, so get busy dude!

Bipe Flyer

Andrew,
They made a lot of planes, but most people think of the R1/R2 or the Z. As for size, I was thinking 4 channel, 30" span with a Norvel .061. Although a 2 channel .010 sure would be cute.


Bruce,
I'm not sure which cowl I'll be going with. I've been waffling back and forth as to which I like better.

Bipe Flyer

Combatpigg,

One of the first planes that the Granvilles built was a Gee Bee bipe, but it doesn't look anything like the typical Gee Bee racer. One of these days I'll build a Laird Super Solution, which Doolittle flew before switching to flying a Gee Bee.

BMatthews

Ooooooo, Darn You! The Laird is another of my more favourite of the racers. I've long thought of one of those with a strong 4 stroke engine to get THE SOUND and a larger prop to clear the cowl better.

matchlessaero

"I was thinking 40 channel, 30" span with a Norvel .061. "

Now this I gotta see. Thatsa lotta little servos in one plane

Bipe Flyer

Whatcha talkin' 'bout, I didn't type that! Well, I'll never admit it anyways. I sure am glad there's an edit function.

MR Flyer57

OH man,

I have a Gee Bee for the contest also, but mine will be the r1, only a strange little twist. It is a Gee Bee transport. They should be different enough to be in completely different worlds, so I won't be stealing any of your thunder.

I will start a thread, but I will give you a preview of the monstrosity I am about to take on.

I don't know if this is just someones nightmare, or if it was really built (a model).

Everybody will see the crude beginnings and the work in progress. This is all I have to start with!

But take a look!!!

MR Flyer57

Bipe Flyer

That's not an R1, it's actually called a C8. The prototype was never completed or flown. It's another on my list of planes I'd like to build. Here's colour side view that may aid in your design.

MR Flyer57

Your too much Bipe,
Thanks for the info, I just thought it was someone doodling, and didn't think it was a real plane.
I will now get to doing the research, and at least I know now that it has a chance to fly.
If you have or know of any docs on this please aim me in the right direction.
MR Flyer57

Bipe Flyer

This is the only other picture I have. Its the wind tunnel test model. Try doing a search on Gee Bee C6, or C-6 or C8 or C-8.

BMatthews

Geez, that would have looked great sitting on some of the airfields along with the other airliners of the times.

Do you have any info on why it didn't go ahead? I'm wondering if the new requirement for passenger aircraft to be multi engined didn't kill this one. Or did the Granville bros. just fade away about that time?

Bipe Flyer

Marshall, I did a quick 2 view that might help. It isn't the greatest, but it's pretty tough from just a couple of pics. Hopefully it is of some use to you.

Bruce, I think it was unfinished at the time that the great depression killed the Granville Brothers Aircraft Company.

MR Flyer57

Your exactly right Bipe, it died just as it was being built. The money ran out and everything but that plane went at auction.
I have been doing a huge amount of home work on the plane, but it is just a footnote in the Gee Bee line.
Thank you for all your help, and if you run across any more documentation, please send it my way.
MR Flyer57

Bipe Flyer

I got the wing basically finished.

Foam cores with 1/32" balsa sheeting attached using Pro Bond polyurethane glue.

jboy381-RCU

thats a good one B/F...i can'f wait to see how it turns out...i know it'll be another one of a kind 1/2A model...

john

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI BIPE! That looks good! I figured that poly glue would have a tendency to expand, and not be a good choice for sheeting. The stuff I have will even push spars right out of grooves I put in the foam. This stuff I have is called GORILLA GLUE. It's great for repairing foam, because it expands and infiltrates all the nooks and crannies that a mangled foam wing can have, and is very sandable when dry.

Bipe Flyer

Same stuff, different name. For sheeting you need to use just enough to do the job and a light misting of water on the outside of the skins. There is no need to pre-join the skins because the glue will expand into the joints as it cures. After attaching the skins I put masking tape over the joints and put the cores back into the foam saddles and weigh them down with about 80 pounds. That prevents the polyurethane from pushing things apart. Light, strong and easy to sand.

MR Flyer57

Great looking wings Bipe,
You sure do a great job!!
MR Flyer57

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI BIPE, that's good news about the poly glue, I know I've tried wood glue and it causes the balsa sheeting to buckle. Do you ever go back in after the sheeting is done and core out the foam? On a fat wing you can save considerable weight. I drop a heated rod down through the wing panel length wise for a pilot hole, I've always wanted to try it using a hand gun, but that idea has EMERGENCY ROOM written all over it. On a 1/2A scale wing you probably don't have enough thickness to consider coring. Some pattern flyers I know cut a honey comb pattern in the foam prior to sheeting, with only 3/8" walls between the cells! By the time they are done prepping a foam wing for sheeting it's a pretty interesting looking work of art.

Bipe Flyer

No, I don't hollow out the cores; I prefer to use lighter foam instead. I have a CNC foam cutter, so hollowing out the foam wouldn't be difficult. The cores alone before sheeting weigh .3 oz each, so I don't think that there would be much to gain by hollowing them out.

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI BIPE! I have to admit that I shy away from using foam for 1/2A projects because I figure on saving weight with wood, but 9 grams for a wing panel is hard to beat! I use hardware store foam,[the regurgitated stuff with the chunks of hard plastic imbedded] for C/L COMBAT wings. I doubt it is as light as what you are using. Where do you buy yours?

Bipe Flyer

I use foam wings for almost all my planes. I buy it from the local building supply places, but I'll drive around until I find virgin foam and buy a few sheets. One of the guys in the club gave me few sheets that were used for packing furniture. They are very light with no recycled bits so I save that foam for 1/2A projects. I can usually build a foam wing that weighs no more than a built up wing but is much stronger. I only sheet my wings. No spars, no leading edges and 1/32 light balsa sheeting.

Foam core wings provide way more strength than is needed for 1/2A, but they wont warp or flex and there's no weight penalty if you build carefully so why not use them?