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Paul Wilson | profile | all galleries >> Everything Else >> 3D Models >> Gee Bee Z tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Gee Bee Z

Here is a model of the Gee Bee Model Z racing aircraft I tossed together in Maya.

During the Great Depression the Granville Brothers decided to build an aircraft created solely for the purpose of winning the Thompson Trophy competition. The fuselage was the smallest possible that could have been created around the largest possible engine, a Pratt and Whitney R-985 "Wasp Jr." producing 535 hp. It proved to be tricky to fly but very fast. The aircraft won a number of competitions and under the piloting of Lowell Bayles won the 1931 Thompson Trophy. After the race a larger engine was mounted to it. Unfortunately, a crash of the aircraft in December 1931 left Bayles dead. Two reproductions of the Gee Bee Z have been built since then.
Gee Bee Model Z Gee Bee Model Z Gee Bee Model Z Gee Bee Model Z
Gee Bee Model Z Gee Bee Model Z