Granville Gee Bee Model A

The Model A was first aircraft to be developed by Granville Brothers, and although first impressions are of a fairly conventional biplane, it had a number of unusual features.

The most obvious of these was the side-by-side seating arrangement, in contrast to most two seat biplanes which have the occupants in tandem, with the passenger in front or behind the pilot. Both occupants shared a single bench seat that spanned the width of the cockpit, which was fitted with twin headrests.

File:Gee Bee Model A 3086.jpg

Because there wasn't a lot of leg room, instead of running the stick up from the floor between the pilot's legs or between the pilot and passenger, it was run horizontally, in a similar manner used on some later bomber and transport aircraft.Granville, 2006, p.19 For training purposes, the pilot could easily disconnect a student's controls to regain control of the aircraft. The fuselage structure was conventional for the time, being a Pratt truss built up from welded steel tubes with light wood battens to fair out the shape.

The prototype was initially fitted with a borrowed {{cvt|50–56|hp}} Velie M-5 radial engine which didn't provide enough power and was soon replaced by an {{cvt|80|hp}} Armstrong Siddeley Genet. Production examples were fitted with the {{cvt|115–118|hp}} Kinner K-5 radial engine, while an inline four-cylinder Cirrus Ensign was also tested, and one Model A was bought by Louis Chevrolet to test the inverted inline four-cylinder {{cvt|100|hp}} Chevolet Chevrolair.Granville, 2006, p.34 Other engines offered included the {{cvt|60|hp}} LeBlond 60-5D radial engine, the {{cvt|110|hp}} Warner Scarab and the {{cvt|85|hp}} de Havilland Gipsy I.Granville, 2006, p.27

Although not yet named as such, the Model A had full span flaperons on the upper wing trailing edge, which combined Frise type ailerons and flaps to allow for both lateral control and good low speed handling without reducing the top speed. Spruce was used for both the spars and the ribs, with duraluminum tubes acting as compression ribs to provide longitudinal rigidity. The rudder and elevators were constructed in a similar manner to the wings, with spruce spars and ribs. Both were covered in doped fabric. The elevators and rudder were interchangeable, while the upper and lower outer wing panels were identical ahead of the rear spar, facilitating production and repair,Haffke, 2004, pp.79 a major consideration given the Granville Brother's prior history of running a mobile aircraft repair facility.Granville, 2006, pp.11 & 13

The outrigger undercarriage oleo struts were attached to the fuselage framework with brass universal joints, to ensure that in an accident, they would shear off without buckling the fuselage framework. This was soon tested when Granny found himself in a snowstorm in February 1930 while flying between exhibitions. He was forced to land the airplane blind and wiped the undercarriage off, splintered the prop, and damaging the two lower wing tip bows, but the fuselage remained undamaged. The prototype was initially fitted with a skid, however this was soon replaced with a self-locking tailwheel, and all of the subsequent Gee Bees would also use tailwheels.Granville, 2006, p.24 These could swivel freely for easier ground maneuvering, and would automatically lock into the fore and aft position for take off and landing.

From the beginning, it was seen as essential that the Model A be capable of being fitted with both skis and floats, so that they could use it to visit extended family. To install the floats, and in absence of the necessary rig, they hoisted the aircraft from a local bridge from the sandbar next to it. The famous aviator Charles Lindbergh was present to witness their tests with the Edo floats.Granville, 2006, p.30

The FAA clearance that made the prototype legal to fly was received on 3 March 1929, however since they couldn't fly from the shop where it was built, they had to disassemble it and transport it to the field they were going to use, and reassemble it there, a process that took until the early hours of the next day. The red and silver Model A prototype made its first flight of eight minutes with the family patriarch Zantford Delbert Granville (known as GrannyGranville, 2006, p.1Both Grannie and Granny are used in the sources, however J. I. Granville spells it with a y.) at the controls, beginning at 3:30 am on 4 March, with neither lights nor parachute. Asked why he didn't wait for sunrise, Granny said: "I wanted to test her without a crowd of pessimistic onlookers".

The Civil Aeronautics Authority (the precursor to today's FAA) granted the Gee Bee Model A the group 2 Approved Type Certificate 2-194 for 8 production aircraft, with serials to run from P-1 to P-8,Juptner, 1994, p.136 excluding the prototype. A group 2 certificate was often used when production numbers were expected to remain small, or to limit the cost of certifying the aircraft.Juptner, 1981, p.103

Contemporary sources note that it was the first Boston-built aircraft to fly,Mendenhall, 1979, p.14 but despite considerable local enthusiasm, the Wall Street crash of 1929 and the beginning of Great Depression killed any chance it would have had at making substantial sales. Despite the fame of the later aircraft, more Model As were built than any other Gee Bee model.Benjamin, 1993, p.94

A blue and gold Model A was bought by Maud Tait, the first of several Gee Bees she flew. She gained considerable fame, winning several important races and setting a number of records in the later Model Y Senior Sportster and Model E Sportster monoplanes.{{cite web|last=Graves|first=Darrell|title=Maude Tait|url=http://goldenageofaviation.org/tait.htm|date=1999|access-date=9 April 2020}}File:GEEBEE-A (cropped).JPG]]

Only two original Gee Bee aircraft survive, one of which is a Model A biplane. With the exception of the Q.E.D. which is on display in Mexico, all other Gee Bees, both flying and on display are replicas.

• Msn P.8FAA, 1962 N901K (formerly NC45V, NC15642 and NC901K), the sole surviving Model A, and the last example to have been built, is on display at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.Blaugher, 2007, p.20 & 222

File:Granville Brothers Gee Bee Model A 3v from Aero Digest April 1931.jpg

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=Aero DigestMcLaughlin, 1930, p.102

|prime units?=imp

|crew=One||capacity=One passenger

|length ft=20||length in=7

|upper span ft=29||upper span in=2||upper span note=

• Upper wing chord: {{cvt|45|in|m}}Granville, 2006, p.27
• Upper wing dihedral: 0.0°

|lower span ft=26||lower span in=3||lower span note=

• Lower wing chord: {{cvt|45|in|m}}
• Lower wing dihedral: 2.5°

|height ft=8||height in=6

|wing area sqft=185

|airfoil=Clark Y

|empty weight lb=1060||gross weight lb=1650

|fuel capacity={{cvt|26|gal|l impgal}}

|more general=

• Undercarriage track: {{cvt|73|in|m}}

|eng1 number=1||eng1 name=Kinner K-5||eng1 type=5-cylinder air-cooled radial engine||eng1 hp=118

|eng1 note=

|prop blade number=2

|prop name=Hartzell fixed pitch wood propeller OR Hamilton Standard fixed pitch metal propeller

|prop dia ft=7||prop dia in=7

|max speed mph=108

|cruise speed mph=92

|minimum control speed mph=30

|range miles=400

|ceiling ft=11000

|climb rate ftmin=800

|climb rate note=initial rate of climb

|time to altitude=10 minutes 0 seconds to {{cvt|5100|ft}}

|lift to drag=

|wing loading lb/sqft=8.9

|fuel consumption lb/mi=

|power/mass={{cvt|16.5|lb/hp}}

}}

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{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last1=Benjamin|first1=Delmar|last2=Wolf|first2=Steve|title=Gee Bee|publisher=Motorbooks International|location=Osceola, WI|isbn=087938820X|year=1993}}
• {{cite book|editor=Blaugher, Michael A.|title=Guide to over 900 Aircraft Museums USA & Canada|publisher=Blaugher|location=Fort Wayne, IA|edition=24|year=2007|isbn=978-0974977225|pages=20 & 222}}
• {{cite web|author=Federal Aviation Administration|title=FAA Registry N-Number Inquiry Results N901K |url=https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=901K|date=24 October 1962|access-date=5 April 2020}}
• {{cite book|last=Granville|first=J. I.|title=Farmers Take Flight|edition=4th|publisher=Gee Bee Publishing|location=Springfield, Massachusetts|year=2006|isbn=978-0970249319}}
• {{cite book|last1=Haffke|first1=Henry A.|last2=Robinson|first2=Harry|last3=Benjamin|first3=Robert|title=Gee Bee – The Real Story of the Granville Brothers and Their Marvelous Airplanes|publisher=Vip Aero Pub|year=1989|isbn=978-0934575041}}
• {{cite magazine|last=Haffke|first=Henry|title=Gee Bee Model-A Biplane|magazine=Model Airplane News|publisher=Air Age Media|location=Ridgefield, CT|date=June 2004|volume=132|issue=6|pages=76–82}}
• {{cite book|last=Juptner|first=Joseph P.|title=US Civil Aircraft: Vol. 9 (ATC 801 – 817)|publisher=Aero Publishers|year=1981|isbn=978-0830643745}}
• {{cite magazine|editor=McLaughlin, George F.|title=Granville Gee Bee A|magazine=Aero Digest|publisher=Aeronautical Digest Publishing Corp.|date=January 1930|volume=18|issue=1|page=102}}
• {{cite book|last=Mendenhall |first=Charles A.|title=The Gee Bee Racers: A Legacy of Speed|publisher=Specialty Press|location=North Branch, MN|year=1979|isbn=978-0933424050}}

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