Granville Gee Bee Sportster

Granville Brothers · United States · first flew 1930 · light aircraft

The Gee Bee Sportster was a family of sports aircraft built in the United States in the early 1930s by the Granville Brothers. They were low-wing, strut- and wire-braced monoplanes of conventional, if short-coupled, design.

Recognition (WEFT)

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Spot it by:

• Strut- and wire-braced low-wing monoplane of short-coupled design
• Open cockpit with a fixed tailskid undercarriage
• Model E carried a Warner Scarab radial engine in place of the inline engines of earlier models

A small open-cockpit low-wing monoplane with a short fuselage and a fixed tailskid undercarriage. The Model E is distinguished by its Warner Scarab radial.

Specifications

• The Granville Gee Bee Sportster has a length of 5.26 m (17 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 7.62 m (25 ft).
• Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The prototype, the Model X, was built for the 1930 All-American Flying Derby, in which Lowell Bayles placed second over a 5,541-mile course. A revised Model D with a larger fin was produced to gain unrestricted certification.

Variants

The Model X and Model B used ACE Ensign engines, the Model C a Menasco B-4 and the Model D a Menasco C-4, each built singly. The definitive Model E had a Warner Scarab radial engine, with four built, and the Model F was a Model X re-engined with a Fairchild 6-390.

Where you'll see it

Eight were built. Bob Hall won the Williams Trophy in the Model D at the 1931 Cleveland air races, and Zantford Granville was killed in February 1934 attempting to land a Model E after an engine failure.

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• Albatros Al 101
• Albatros L 100
• Albert A-60
• American Eagle Eaglet

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