At the 1996 Hot Air Airship World Championships in Aosta, Italy, the first three places were won by Thunder & Colt airships with the fourth place being held by a GEFA-FLUG AS 80 GD which features a standard T&C gondola and is also built at the T&C factory in Bristol, England.
Volume: 80,000 cu. ft
A construction of “Gesellschaft für Flugmaschinen- und Apparatenbau” at Bonn-Hangelar; designed and built by Dr. Josef Hoos – a “Kölner” – and a flyer since 1911. Similar monoplanes were built in “some” numbers during 1910-13, with various engines and used by the Hoos flying school up until 1914 – at first in Cologne and from December 1913 in Bonn-Hangelar.
The earlier G.E.F.A. eindeckers (of 1911/12) had a small rudder, the later rudders were larger. This example, probably a later model with a partially covered fuselage, is shown at Hangelar Flugplatz in early 1914 with flight-student Albert Leick seated.
Development of the machine started in December 1909. It was powered by a 12 hp engine driving a two-bladed tractor propeller. The undercarriage was a tricycle construction with a strong skid in the middle of the front wheels. The characteristic wing – later the trademark of the Geest Möwe Eindecker types – was based on earlier work of Alois Wolfmüller. The machine was not tested as Wolfmüller realized that the machine would not reach the required speed to get into the air.
The Geest Flugzeugbau GmbH Möwe 2 was built at L.V.G. in Johannisthal during the second part of 1911. The idea was to build a Morane E.D fuselage with a Geest’s wing, but the result looks quite different. The engine was a 70 hp Gnome. It was successfully flown before winter by the L.V.G. pilot Alois Stiploschek. Some time later, it crashed.
Germany
Formed in 1915 at Berlin-Oberschoneweide with capital of 80,000 marks. Built number of allegedly inherently stable monoplanes during First World War.
After liquidation the workforce built the QED for the 1934 England to Australia race, and the ‘Time Flies’ a racer for Frank Hawks.
After liquidation the workforce built the QED, and the ‘Time Flies’ a racer for Frank Hawks. The Gee Bee R6 (later designated Q.E.D.) was designed and built as a two place transcontinental air racer specifically to complete in the MacRobertson Trophy Race – a transcontinental air race from London to Melbourne, Australia. The QED was powered by a 650 hp P&W R-1690 Hornet engine.
The QED did not finish the MacRobertson Trophy Race only reaching Bucharest and in 1939 was sold to Mexican competition pilot Francisco Sarabia.
After setting a new speed record from Mexico City to New York City in 10 hrs 48 minutes, tragedy struck and Sarabia was killed when the engine quit on take off from Washington D.C. and the aircraft plunged into the Potomac River.
The Q.E.D. was not badly damaged, and was restored and is now on display in Mexico as a tribute to Francisco Sarabia.
Replica:
Moss Gee Bee QED
Built from the wrecks.
R-1 fuselage and R-2 Wings
1.5 ft longer
Hornet engine
Modified by Cecil Allen with large fuel tank aft of C of G.
Crashed.
The Granvilles and their new chief engineer, Howell “Pete” Miller, came up with two of the most powerful models yet—the R Series Super Sportsters, race numbers 7 and 11—tailor-made to win the 1932 Nationals. For the Bendix there was No. 7, the Wasp Jr.-powered R 2; for the Thompson Trophy event there was No. 11, the Gee Bee R 1.
P&W R-985, 535 hp
Built for the Bendix trophy.
302 USG fuel cap.
Fixed tailwheel.
The Granvilles and their new chief engineer, Howell “Pete” Miller, came up with two of the most powerful models yet—the R Series Super Sportsters, race numbers 7 and 11—tailor-made to win the 1932 Nationals. For the Bendix there was No. 7, the Wasp Jr.-powered R 2; for the 1932 Thompson Trophy event there was No. 11, the Gee Bee R 1.
The Granvilles needed a pilot, and Jimmy Doolittle needed a plane. Doolittle flew to Springfield for a look. The Granvilles rolled out their creation, in a scalloped, black-piped, red-and-white paint scheme, set off by red 11s and dice showing 5 and 6. The R 1, essentially a scaled-up version of the Model Z, struck Doolittle as “all engine with minuscule wings and a bomblike fuselage.” The Granvilles had simply streamlined a Wasp Sr. engine with a modicum of bodywork, adding just enough wing and control surface area to keep it airborne, barely under control, and moving at nearly 300 mph.
Doolittle knew the airplane would be “extremely hot to handle.” After his one brief test flight, Boardman had reported severe directional instability, and the Granvilles had added two square feet of fin to the rudder. Doolittle clambered into the cockpit and asked that the engine be fired up. As the Wasp Sr. roared to life, one of the Granvilles, no doubt thinking ahead to locating the wreckage, asked where he was headed.
“I’m going to Cleveland, of course!” answered Doolittle. He took off and, without even a turn around the field, headed west. In less than two hours the Granvilles received a telegram: “Landed in Cleveland O.K., Jim.”
Granville Brothers Gee Bee R-1 Article
Super Sportster R-1
Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340, 800 hp
Length: 17.749 ft / 5.41 m
Height: 8.104 ft / 2.47 m
Wingspan: 25.0 ft / 7.62 m
Wing area: 79.654 sq.ft / 7.4 sq.m
Max take off weight: 3065.0 lb / 1390.0 kg
Weight empty: 1841.2 lb / 835.0 kg
Max. speed: 254 kt / 470 km/h
Landing speed: 103 kt / 190 km/h
Service ceiling: 4921 ft / 1500 m
Wing loading: 38.54 lb/sq.ft / 188.0 kg/sq.m
Endurance: 1 h
Crew: 1
Fuel capacity 160 USG.
Steerable tailwheel.
