hi all

new here

worlds slowest/worst typest!!!!---
below is shortest version i could make.

was googling GP GEE BEE and found this thread and have read more than half but not all post(ordered mine today)
only long term problems with gee bee seem to be spar failure and landing problems.is this correct everyone?

spar joiner failure
as i have almost always on scale race/military/aerobatic planes used 50% larger engine than max recomended i always do the following

1 make the spars/center section as strong as possible with and/or spruce/aircraft ply/aluminum and carbon strips and or glass

2 add stressed flying wire or struts(close to scale usualy!)

3 similar mods as 1-2 for elevator and rudder

4 beef up fire wall with glass---usualy from inside

this has always resulted in airplanes that you can not rip the wings off if you try---I TRY TO!( i fly at the limit)

added weight not a problem when landed like full size fighters and other heavy weights.

LANDING HEAVIES
we all learned to fly with low loading trainers and moved on to low loading sport planes ect--i call all(most) of these floaters.what we learned here wont work with high wing loads.

after reading discriptions of these landing misshaps and the discriptions of landing procedures used and the procedure in the gee bee manuel i think i can help with the problems---i might be wrong--40+ years of this hobby and i still have stuff to learn.

i learned how to do this from my jemco p-47 manual--span 50? engine 60+ weight max 12lbs mine was at 10 1/2lbs(real high wing loading--double gp geebee?) and the constant proding(harassment) from some older flying buddies.
jemco said(my 20 year old memories) not to atempt to fly this airplane(p-47) if you have not mastered high wing load skills--you will crash it.and then told how to modify midwest ind molded foam .21(.25?) chipmonk with hot .40+ and lots of added weight for a heavyweight trainer.

my version of landing heavies and making 3 point landings every time with no bounce.
make high pratice landings atleast 50ft high. 9 is very important for gee bee as in cross wind the large fusealage will block air flow from the down wind wing and aileron.

1 start final well out and high

2 low power setting

3 start pulling slowly back on stick until sink rate increases to more than you want.hold this elevator seting durring next steps and all the way to roll out

4 add power until sink rate is like you want.
play around until you find proper sink rate at around 1/4-1/2+up elevator and 1/4- 1/2+ throttle--varries from aircraft to aircraft and wing/power loadings.some where close to the aircraft level with ground durring final(slight to moderate nose high to flight path attitude--or 3 point attitude)

5 now fly some pratice at these settings using throttle for altitude and elevator for speed(this is not a typeo ---is backwards from floaters!)

6 you may have to move elevator around for gust ect--dont stop hands on flying!

7 i usualy set up slightly to much sink rate and may go as high as full throttle before tuchdown to flatten out flight path-i like to be at full up when wheels make contact---throttle should be chopped to idle at tuchdown.the wing should be at or near stall at touchdown.

8 to abort go to full throttle and let off stick slowly until feel is developed--some planes may drop nose if you let off elevator to fast.

9 now learn to do this while crabed in cross wind---rudder to nose into wind oppisite aileron to level wing if needed.

now we are flying(landing) like a real fighter pilot!
and we have good elevator/rudder control from prop wash and will not run out of elevator--ailerons may get soft.
no lag spooling up engine and no flame out due to an engine that has cooled down during an idle/glide making aborts faster/cleaner/safer.
less tip stall---dont realy know why on thisone!

when landed like this you will find that the airplane needs less correcting from gust ect and it will not bounce around near as much and will feel rock solid.

this can be learned with almost any airplane by adding weight. as you get the hang of it add more weight(slowly) until the wing loading is higher than anything you can belive.
when you have this mastered you can land anything that will fly and make it look easy(it realy is once learned).

nothing i hate more than unbuilt airplanes except for instant re kitting of fine airplanes!

cant wait for my gee bee to show up!
will post mods as i build--possible 30cc engine--see how it feels in when its in my hands.


thanks guys and i will keep checking this thread for more info and problems and have gotten some good ideas from what you have already done.

Thanks
David