GeeBee NR2101
 |
At right and below are two images of GeeBee NR2101 as photographed
by Gordon S. Williams. The location and dates are unknown,
but according to aerofiles.com the
photos are, "of the 1933 R-1/R-2 "longtail" that used
the repaired fuselage of Boardman's R-1, lengthened by about
18" behind the cockpit, and the old 1932 R-2 wings, which
had been replaced in the 1933 R-2. Powered by a 1,000 hp
P&W Hornet, it had a tighter cowl with bumps for the
rocker covers." The bumps are clearly visible in these
images. An access panel is open just over the wing root.
According to aerofiles,
"Both [the R1 & R2] planes were destroyed in crashes, but fuselage parts
and landing gears from their remains were used by E. Morgan
Voelker of Tucson AZ to make a 1934 hybrid replica that bore
the original R-2 numbers—it,
too, was destroyed in a 1935 crash [see below], marking an end to the
original barrel-bodies." Follow the aerofiles link for more information.
The annotation on the right-hand image, above, states,
"Granville 'Gee Bee 1', Hornet 1000 HP, Cecil Allen’s
ill fated ship, Photo by Gordon S. Williams". Cecil
Allen, a Register pilot, was killed in 1935.
GeeBee NR2101
 |
The annotation on the image at left states, " Hall
'Gee Bee' 7-11, P&W R-1690 “Hornet” 800-900
HP, NR2101 crashed on takeoff 31, August 1935 at Burbank,
During Bendix Race. Cecil Allen killed."
Allen's name can be seen painted just under the cockpit on the original photograph. Although this is Allen's airplane, the annotation
seems to be in error regarding the difference in HP
specifics.
Follow that aerofiles link to see another image of
this airplane. You'll note that our image has
severe oil streaking on the forward fuselage, and the lettering, "Spirit of Flight", is
not on the aerofiles image.
That leaves us with the Tucson visit of NR2101. According
to the Register, pilot Joe Lafayette Thomas brought the airplane
to the Airfield on August 5, 1934. His entry in the Register
is suspect, because he lists two passengers (the airplane
has a single cockpit), he identifies his destination as the
Tucson, AZ Transfer Co., and in the Remarks column he notes, "Lafayette
we are here". Regardless, to complicate things a bit more, this might be a test flight of the airplane while it was under E. Morgan Voelker's restoration program. Please refer to Zantford
Granville's page for further interpretation of this confusing
puzzle.
---o0o---
UPLOADED: 09/29/07 REVISED: 11/07/07, 02/06/08
|
