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Like so many young people in the 1920s, Zantford Granville took a keen interest in the burgeoning field of aviation. He earned his pilot's license in 1925 and soon after started an airplane repair business in Boston, Massachusetts with his brother Tom. Business was good enough to bring in their other three brothers, Bob, Mark, and Ed. They named their company Gee Bee (G.B., for Granville Brothers), and expanded their scope beyond aircraft repair to aircraft design and development.
The first Gee Bee aircraft was a conventional biplane dubbed the Model A, recognized in 1929 as the first aircraft built in Boston. It incorporated cutting-edge features for its time, such as wheel brakes and a swiveling tail wheel that could be fixed for takeoff and landing. After obtaining financial support, they relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts to further develop their designs. The onset of the Great Depression affected Model A sales, which only amounted to 8 units sold.
The brothers then set their sights on the lucrative prize money offered in high-profile air races. In a shrewd business move, they hired gifted engineer Bob Hall and together they designed a series of sleek Sportsters. The Model X Sportster finished second in the Cirrus All American Flying Derby in 1930, flown by Lowell Bayles. This success and financial reward further stimulated the brothers.
The yellow and black Model Z Super Sportster was built to win the 1931 Thompson event at the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. With an uprated Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr engine incorporated into the smallest possible airframe, the plane was fast but tricky to fly. Nevertheless, Bayles won the Thompson Trophy at a landplane record speed of 236.2 miles per hour. Refitted with a bigger Wasp engine during the autumn, the Z began flying at speeds of over 280 miles per hour. But in December, during a world speed record attempt run at 150 feet, the Z crashed in a massive fireball, killing pilot Lowell Bayles. Later Gee Bee aircraft would have further racing success and experience more tragedy, becoming an iconic and somewhat infamous brand of the era.
The Museum's Gee Bee is a reproduction of the original but is not exact in every way. In 1978, Bill Turner built the plane to fly, but with safety enhancements relative to the hot-rod original. It has slightly longer wings and fuselage and a less-powerful engine to make it easier to control. Two of the five original Granville Brothers, Bob and Ed, consulted on the project. The plane was purchased by the Disney Corporation and appeared in the 1991 movie The Rocketeer.
Afterwards, the Gee Bee was placed on display at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying and appeared on static display at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Golden Age of Air Racing exhibits at Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1991 and 1995. It was purchased by The Museum of Flight in 2003.
Like so many young people in the 1920s, Zantford Granville took a keen interest in the burgeoning field of aviation. He earned his pilot's license in 1925 and soon after started an airplane repair business in Boston, Massachusetts with his brother Tom. Business was good enough to bring in their other three brothers, Bob, Mark, and Ed. They named their company Gee Bee (G.B., for Granville Brothers), and expanded their scope beyond aircraft repair to aircraft design and development.
The first Gee Bee aircraft was a conventional biplane dubbed the Model A, recognized in 1929 as the first aircraft built in Boston. It incorporated cutting-edge features for its time, such as wheel brakes and a swiveling tail wheel that could be fixed for takeoff and landing. After obtaining financial support, they relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts to further develop their designs. The onset of the Great Depression affected Model A sales, which only amounted to 8 units sold.
The brothers then set their sights on the lucrative prize money offered in high-profile air races. In a shrewd business move, they hired gifted engineer Bob Hall and together they designed a series of sleek Sportsters. The Model X Sportster finished second in the Cirrus All American Flying Derby in 1930, flown by Lowell Bayles. This success and financial reward further stimulated the brothers.
The yellow and black Model Z Super Sportster was built to win the 1931 Thompson event at the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. With an uprated Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr engine incorporated into the smallest possible airframe, the plane was fast but tricky to fly. Nevertheless, Bayles won the Thompson Trophy at a landplane record speed of 236.2 miles per hour. Refitted with a bigger Wasp engine during the autumn, the Z began flying at speeds of over 280 miles per hour. But in December, during a world speed record attempt run at 150 feet, the Z crashed in a massive fireball, killing pilot Lowell Bayles. Later Gee Bee aircraft would have further racing success and experience more tragedy, becoming an iconic and somewhat infamous brand of the era.
The Museum's Gee Bee is a reproduction of the original but is not exact in every way. In 1978, Bill Turner built the plane to fly, but with safety enhancements relative to the hot-rod original. It has slightly longer wings and fuselage and a less-powerful engine to make it easier to control. Two of the five original Granville Brothers, Bob and Ed, consulted on the project. The plane was purchased by the Disney Corporation and appeared in the 1991 movie The Rocketeer.
Afterwards, the Gee Bee was placed on display at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying and appeared on static display at the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Golden Age of Air Racing exhibits at Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1991 and 1995. It was purchased by The Museum of Flight in 2003.
