Hello group. My Name is Kevin Kimball. I built a full size replica of the Gee Bee Z in 1996. I am friends with Mirco who created the R3. It is NOT a real airplane in the sense of being from our aviation past. It does not exist as a full size airplane and has not existed yet. Mirco and I became friends a few years ago when he was researching some history on Pitts Specials. We own the design rights to andmanufacture the full size Pitts Model 12 kit. We sell full size plans as well. So, I have a view on the R3 issue from a slightly different window than most of you. Simply stated, Mirco is upset that his design was used by someone to create the model that is now available and lied about the origin of the creation. The story being sold with the model is that it was a long lost Granville design. I know this is not true, so do most of you. Mirco simply wishes to have credit for his design. Ir the kit maker would simply add a one line statement such as "Based on a design by Mirco Pecorari", Mirco may be satisfied. Jim, you might consider such a statement on your site even if the overseas gang doesn't. Can't hurt. I don't think he is after some large sum of cash as some of you have indicated. I speak with him each week and know him well.

About the R3, it is NOT a Granville design in any way, shape or form. If you study the airplane a bit, you will see features that were not invented in the day of the Gee Bee racers. NACA vents for example. There are many little clues. One of you wrote that the N number was on a Cessna or some other current airplane. OK. The number Mirco placed on it has significance to him. It is his birth month and day. There is no legal restriction on the term "Gee Bee".

Mirco has not claimed to have designed the model as was mentioned. He created the design, the concept of the R3. Someone else took is copyrighted art and created the model from that.

I do have an agreement with Mirco to be the only place to build the full size R3. It is going to be a fun project.

We own the rights to the pitts Model 12. As you guys know, there are many models made of this airplane. Only one kit maker contacted us to see if it was OK to do so. That is Bob Truworthy at www.bigairplanes.com. I think it is cool to have models of our airplanes flying. The difference between the model 12 and the R3 is there are no claims by th ekit maker that their version of the model 12 was a long lost creation found in a polar ice cap in the hands of a lost WWI fighter ace.

Hopefully, this post helps clear the issue a bit for everyone.

BTW, my father, son and I fly R/C as well.

Sincerely,

Kevin Kimball
www.jimkimballenterprises.com
www.pittsmodel12.com