Gee Bee Model R-1 Super Sportster
Granville Brothers Aircraft · United States · first flew 1932 · light aircraft
The Gee Bee Model R-1 Super Sportster is an extreme American air racer of 1932, notorious for its dangerous handling and for its record-setting speed of 476 km/h — the fastest landplane in the world at the time.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | barrel-shaped fuselage dominated by the enormous 800 hp radial engine |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- barrel-shaped fuselage dominated by the enormous 800 hp radial engine
- tiny stub wings mounted almost at the rear of the fuselage
- minimal cockpit canopy recessed just forward of the tail
Unmistakable: the near-circular fuselage cross-section dominated by the Pratt & Whitney Wasp Senior engine, the impossibly short wing, and the tiny cockpit placed so far aft that the pilot's head nearly touched the fin make this aircraft unique in aviation history.
Specifications
- The Gee Bee Model R-1 Super Sportster has a length of 5.41 m (18 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.62 m (25 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 476 km/h (296 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Built by the Granville Brothers of Springfield, Massachusetts, for the 1932 Thompson Trophy race, the R-1 was an exercise in minimalism: the smallest possible airframe wrapped around the largest available engine. Jimmy Doolittle won the Thompson Trophy at an average speed of 407 km/h, then set the landplane speed record days later.
Variants
The closely related R-2 was a parallel development with a slightly larger airframe; both aircraft were destroyed in accidents, the R-1 killing Russell Boardman in 1933.
Where you'll see it
Purely a racing aircraft, the R-1 never served in any military or commercial role; it exists today as one of the most recognisable symbols of the golden age of air racing.
Related aircraft
- Gee Bee Model R Super Sportster
- Gee Bee Model Y Senior Sportster
- Gee Bee Model A
- Arado Ar 66
- Arrow Aircraft Active
- Beechcraft Staggerwing
- Beechcraft Staggerwing Model 17
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.