GP GEE BEE
 

Got my GP GEE BEE today and it looks great! I am wanting to go with a gas engine . If you plan on doing the same let me Know what engine your going with.
THanks,
Roy

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

I got mine today and it also looks pretty nice. But beware of the added weight of a gas engine and associated accessories. This plane, at 12 pounds, already has a wing loading above 35 oz/sq ft. That's probably a typical flying weight with a 120 four cycle that usually weigh in the 2 pound range. The smallest gas engine you might want to try is an RCS 140, bu that one is close to 3 pounds RTF. Something like a Zenoah G-26 is closer to 4 pounds.

Just try to keep it light...

I have a Saito 150 on the shelf that may get used on my project plane

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Got a chance to look it over again last night and changed my mind. I think a glow engine is the way to go because of weight and I would also would like to hide all the engine in the cowl.
Hope more people out there will let us know what they are going to use and how it works out.
Roy

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

If memory serves me correctly the last GeeBee I built reguired more nose weight than one may think. You fellows may want to put it together without an engine and see how much weight/engine will be needed to balance. If you think about the real plane you will see that they had a huge powerplant hanging off the firewall. My guess is a gas engine will work, within reason of course. Plus the benefit to using gas is the fuel tank can be located on the CG if need be.

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

I got mine yesterday and agree with the quality. I am thinking about a Tom Perry 30CC Gas Conversion.... here is the e-mail exchange when I inquired about it working for the plane. I had sent him the "Official" Great Plane Specifications:

"I have a 30 cc Homelite running on C&H ignition that would power the plane just fine. With a gas engine, the wing loading might be a bit high, but so long as you keep the airspeed up, there would not be a problem. Gee Bee's are supposed to go fast anyway.

Costs would be $245.00 plus shipping (about $15.00) and the engine and ignition system is complete except for muffler. You can get a nice aluminum muffler from B&B Specialties for about $35.00. It's not a Pitts style, but with the large cowl on the Gee Bee it should be fully enclosed. I can also order the muffler if you wanted."

I have the Kyosho Gee Bee and added an OS 70 4CL and did not have to add any additional weight. The plans call for a 52 which required 10 OZ of nose weight.

If I have to add weight to the nose I would just a soon add power. I don't mind flying with a little more speed as I have several warbirds and all of my planes are scale.

My 2 cents.

John

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Do you have a web address or email address for the Tom Perry converson?
Thanks,
Roy

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Tom's information:
E-mail:
[email protected]
Phone:
321 259 9114

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

NOTICE!!!!!

I got my Gee Bee on the same day as a friend of mine this week. He was installing the aileron hinges and horns and noticed the the plate for the aileron horns in the aileron is BALSA and NOT Hardwood as indicated on the plans... there is not a plate on the top of the aileron so opening up the covering and adding a hardwood sister plate should not be a problem.

You may want to check your kits... woodscrews in balsa would be risky in my opinion...

I will be opening mine tonight to check.

John

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Well, I see that GP has once again gotten people to sign up to be their Beta Testers. I did that once and learned my lesson. We even have someone in our club who is Beta testing the new Lancair and is certainly finding lots and lots of problems. GP goes to some sweatshop in China, gets a product made, gets modelers to pay to be their Beta Testers and then gets the sweatshop to fix all the mistakes the modelers find. Use to be a kit manufacturer would actually do all that testing before releasing a product but those days appear to be long gone.

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Took my Gee Bee to my club meeting last night for show and tell and the big topic was what engine every one thought I should use.
No one thought the 90 two , 120 four stroke would have the power it would need or weight to balance.
I am thinking of putting it together without the engine then see how much weight it will take up front to balance and go with as big as engine as needed.
They all liked the plane but said it was a little big around the body but so was I so we would make a good combo!

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

76.ta,

Keep us posted on how your building going. I just started mine today, and I am trying to figure out what engine to use. Looking at the weight, 11- 12.25, or something like that, I am a little not sure the 120 4stroke with fly it as I like. I am not looking for speed, I just want scale flight, with plenty of power to get out of trouble if need be. I was thinking of using a saito 150 or 180. I am flying a cap right now with a 180 that weighs in at 12.5, and the 180 doesn't have unlimited power in it, so I don't think it will be crazy in the gee bee. It will just take throttle management. I also was looking at engine weights, and the 180 is only .5 ounce heavier than the os 120 recommended. This way I could also get a bigger prop outside the cowl which would be nice. Anyway, let me know what your thinking, and i wil do the same. What are you using for servos? I know it says only 40 in-oz, so it looks like standards will be ok.

Thanks,
Ryan

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Ryan,
I am looking at using servos in the 100 oz range for the rudder and elevators and 70 oz for the ailerons. I never trust what they say is ok and with a bigger engine I would rather be safe the sorry. I am also looking at the saito 180 but will wait till I see how much weight is needed up front.
Keep me updated!
Roy

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Hello; I have a Page GEE Bee R2, without radio or engine it weighs 2 1/2 pounds. Fully rigged and ready to fly it weighs 8 1/2 pounds.

With enough power, I suppose, anything will fly but, are you building it to fly or just to look at?

I noticed that no one is saying how these planes fly at that weight, my plane flys pretty well with a Saito 91. I can't imagine how it would fly at 12 pounds. Wing loading is already too high to relax while flying.

I know some people build planes that can't possibly fly, just because they are so beautiful, I have done that too.

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Here are the specs per great planes:

Wing: 66 in
wing area: 743 sq in
weight: 11.25-12.25 lb
loading: 34.9-38 oz/sq ft
length: 45
engine: .91-1.08 2s or 1.20 fs

Looking at this, and the fact that the 1.80 is only .5 oz heavier than the os 120 recommended, I think it will be ok. I talked with a rep at the chicago hobby show last weekend, and he said it flys remarkably home. He gave me the warnings, of not to get it too slow, and to fly it in to landing. I asked him about a saito 150, and he said it should be fine, the 180 is lighter than the 150. He said that he just bought one, and I asked him what engine he was going to use. He said that he is going to start with the os 120, and if it wasn't enough he was going to put at os 1.6fx 2 stroke. So i don't know I may also keep building, and see how much weight is it going to take up front.

Keep the post coming, there has got to be more of these things out there.

Thanks,
Ryan

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

So far, MY GP Gee Bee is awaiting servos, on-board glow lighter and muffler. Everything else is installed, Saito 150, receiver, 1650 mah 5 cell NiMH pack, switch, control linkages, tank, everything...

It weighs 10 lbs 5 oz. Add the missing stuff and I'll have about 11.5 lbs, at the low end of the weight range. It balances exactly at the location indicated in the manual, so the additional stuff can be compensated for using battery shifting.

Be careful when Zapping the rudder to the fuselage. The slots in the fiberglass on both parts may not allow CA to get into the hinge before drizzling down the outside. (Don't ask!)

I checked my aileron mount points. There is a rib-to-rib piece of balsa, but inset into that is a piece of lite ply where the horn goes. If you offset the servo arm to the inboard side rather than outboard as shown, the horn will be screwed to balsa only. Follow the instructions!

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

I have been thinking about one of these for my YS 1.20 AC. I think that would be just about right.;)

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Terry,
I think the Ys 120 would be great!
Just wish I could afford one!!!!!!!
Roy

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

pettit,

What are you planning to use for servos? I, m glad to see the weight that you posted, your setup seems to be pretty close to what I am looking at. I may use a 180, since It is actually a little lighter than the 150, and not much different in cost. What are you doing for muffler? Are you not using the stock? I have a slimline pitts on my 180 in my cap that really worked great. Just wondering what you were planning.

-Ryan

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

I was thinking about putting a mvvs 160 gas engine in mine any thoughts about this set up.

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

got one of these at home as well, and a couple of questions.

my dummy radial was formed off centered, it has a lip on one side and none directly across, does anyone know or has got that far as to if it matters?

secondly, what paint if any did you use when you cut off the edges on the belly pan?

I tried a little missile red lustrekote, and it's not that close, and certainly not opaque

I've also wondered if the choice of engine is based on flying field and the home court grass effect. I don't see this plane as a grass field friendly one, unless the grass is dry and short.

I'm sure I going to use a 4 stroke, but which one and what size is something I'm going to wait on and see how this balances and tops off in the weight catagory as I get close to finished assembly.

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

:DIm going to use Hitec 5625 mg servos for all but the wings and in them I will use Hitec 77 BBS . Have carbon fiber rods and rocket city hardware (dons hobby) to hook it alltogether. Because most of the plane is fiberglass they should all balance out close to each other or am I wrong in thinking this? This is the frist fiberglass plane for me and I would think the weight will very less then a all wood plane.
Roy
H.P.Pilots

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

I'm using Hitec HS-475BB servos all around. This is only an 11 pound plane with 2-56 hardware.

The Slimline Pitts won't clear the firewall when the engine is installed at the recommended 6" from the firewall. I'm using a Mac's Muffler Extension and the stock muffler. The stock stuff will fit if the engine is almost vertical, but given a choice, I will mount mine sideways.

To "76.ta", what do you mean "...Because most of the plane is fiberglass they should all balance out close to each other or am I wrong in thinking this?..." \

Also, the 5626 servos are great, but don't you think they're a little too much for this plane?

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

>>my dummy radial was formed off centered, it has a lip on one side and none directly across, does anyone know or has got that far as to if it matters?

I checked mine last night and it is fine.

>>secondly, what paint if any did you use when you cut off the edges on the belly pan?

For my Great Planes Pitts I used a red permanent marker. Simple and effective. It seemed to match the color well... the lip will not be that visible once it is glued down to the wing.

John

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Pettie
To What I meant by my above statement is that when you build a plane totally out of balsa wood and ply, if you were to build 100 of these planes, the different densities of wood would cause some of the planes to be more tail heavy, some nose heavy, etc. which would mean that different weights of engine, different placements of the battery, etc. would be needed to make the plane balance out correctly.

Because the fuselage is made of fiberglass and the wings of course are right on the center of gravity, my thinking was that most all of our planes (gee bees) will balance out with the same configurations (engines,batt ect.) with just slight differences because of the consistencies in weight distribution of the fiberglass fuselage. Because this is the first fiberglass fuselage I have dealt with, I could be wrong and the weight of the fiberglass fuselage could be as varied as if they were build out of balsa and ply. Your input on this would be appreciated.

I was just hoping there would be less variance so that way we could all copy off of what other people found out works to make the plane balance the easiest.

ROY

RE: GP GEE BEE
 

Keep us posted on the assembly I'm not into glow anymore but I 've always wanted a Gee Bee and if it can handle a smaller gas I'll buy one if someone is thinking on building one with an RCS or MVVS let us know how it goes .

Thanks.

epc.