Flying Characteristics

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Like any high performance tail-dragger, the Gee Bee will require some rudder input during its take-off run. If you have flown a large warbird, this should come as no surprise and will be a very similar discipline with the Gee Bee. Throttle up slowly and deliberately, staying ahead of the aircraft; as the tail lifts off, the Gee Bee will achieve flying speed very rapidly and can be rotated immediately.
	Climb to a safe altitude, turn around, throttle back to approx. 2/3 throttle and trim out the aircraft for hands-off, straight and level flight. This may require several passes as the Gee Bee gobbles up sky very rapidly. This is, after all, a PYLON RACER!
Once the Gee Bee is properly trimmed, try to relax and enjoy your creation. This is, after all, why you built this thing, right?! When you have achieved a level of comfort with the plane, try some high and low speed passes. Be aware that banking the Gee Bee to the left generally results in a nose-high attitude (at knife edge) due to the right engine thrust and right fin/rudder. Conversely, banking the Gee Bee right will result in a nose-down attitude. Remember, these aircraft were built to do one thing very well – GO FAST AND TURN LEFT. Some compromises must be made in other flight modes.
	When it is time to set up for landing approaches, start at a fairly high altitude just to confirm you can in fact fly the pattern. Once you can establish a reliable approach and fly the Gee Bee directly down the runway, lower your approach speed. The Gee Bee is NOT a sport plane so do not attempt to line it up and chop the throttle. This airplane must be flown onto the runway – this means the throttle is gently pulled back for a shallow sink rate and maintained at a high idle until touch-down is immanent. ONLY at that moment should the engine be brought back to idle. Once the Gee Bee touches down, STAY AHEAD of the rudder.
DO NOT RELAX. The Gee Bee landing gear provides a very stable landing platform, but rudder input is integral to maintaining directional stability. It is also VERY HELPFUL to apply full up elevator the moment flying speed is lost (generally on touch down) as this will keep the tail planted and reduce the possibility of a nose-over. This is a habit every pilot should adopt any time his airplane is taxiing.
	CONGRATULATIONS!!! Now that your first flight is behind you and you have had a chance to take a bow, change your shorts, shake many hands and answer a million questions, you should go completely over your Gee Bee. Check EVERYTHING! Now….. fuel up again and fly it again! While it is tempting to pack up and depart as a “hero,” having flown the Gee Bee successfully, you will never master this aircraft until you can fly it without those first-flight jitters and land it consistently. Another couple of flights while the handling of the aircraft is fresh in your mind and you still have a level of confidence, will go a long way towards making you real Gee Bee pilot – and not just a guy who flew a Gee Bee.
Epilogue If you ever had a chance to see the real replica, piloted by Delmar Benjamin, you may recall an air show announcer stating that the Gee Bee’s nasty reputation ‘is just all myth,’ in light of Delmar’s expert handling of the plane. This statement is simply wrong, as Delmar willingly affirms: “The Gee Bee R2’s reputation is well-deserved.” It has its idiosyncrasies, as you will discover while exploring other flight modes besides going fast and turning left. This is not to say that the Gee Bee is a bad airplane, anymore than a Boeing 747 is a bad airplane merely because of it’s singleness of purpose… Delmar’s expert pilotage proved that the Granville Brothers and Howell Miller knew very well what they were doing when they built the fastest airplanes in the world; that most the pilots of the day may not have been up to the task of handling them does not tarnish their reputation as state-of-the-art, purpose-built aircraft. The Composite-ARF Gee Bee R2 replica is no different. Many people will never understand or appreciate the Gee Bee racers. Many find them more amusing, than amazing... That’s OK. One thing is for sure – when you master your R2, you will join a very elite group of flyers whose dedication to this model is appreciated by everyone who has the privilege of watching it fly.

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