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The GeeBee either! Del proved that without a doubt the GeeBee mankiller rep. was nothing but a myth. The truth is it was a very advanced design for the time and most pilots were't up to the challenge. Jimmy D. obviously "got it".
My earlier comment about not seeing Del do any snapping highlighted exactly that, he knows the limits of the design and respects them. No one who has ever seen his act would lament that he wasn't the master of that aircraft. He understood where to push it and where no too.
I may be remembering this wrong, but didnt the Gee Bee have an accident at Reno? Like a torque roll problem on landing or something?
I know the plane by design had to be landed very carefully, (same on take off to I would think) due to a narrow landing gear and lots of rotating mass.
I may be completely wrong about this. Sure hope I am.
Not that I know of. I think I read on here that Delmar built it with the intention of flying shows just long enough to prove it was not a deathtrap and then hang it up.
I may be remembering this wrong, but didnt the Gee Bee have an accident at Reno? Like a torque roll problem on landing or something?
I know the plane by design had to be landed very carefully, (same on take off to I would think) due to a narrow landing gear and lots of rotating mass.
I may be completely wrong about this. Sure hope I am.
It wasn't a torque roll, but rather aileron reversal at landing speeds. The original was thought to have suffered from that, and he proved it. Luckily he knew that it could possibly occur, and was able to get it on the ground in one piece. I believe that happened fairly early on it it's testing program and he was able to change his flight profile to avoid it.
It wasn't a torque roll, but rather aileron reversal at landing speeds. The original was thought to have suffered from that, and he proved it. Luckily he knew that it could possibly occur, and was able to get it on the ground in one piece. I believe that happened fairly early on it it's testing program and he was able to change his flight profile to avoid it.
There was an article about the R-2 project and its first flights in EAA's Sport Aviation magazine in the March 1992 issue. There was a great section about one of the project crew getting Pete Miller, one of the original designers, on the phone to hear the fly-bys during the initial flights. Wonderful stuff! Try this link:
Delmar's Gee Bee act was one of the best aerobatic acts that I've ever seen. Anyone who didn't get a chance to see it really missed out as it was pure magic. Damn, he was good. Does anyone know where he got the skills to fly that thing so well? Was Delmar a former aerobatic champ or what? He was impressive!
I feel lucky to have seen him several times (Reno and here in the Phoenix area). One day at a show here in Phoenix the announcer kept calling it a Bee Gee and no one corrected him….. I couldn’t stop laughing.
I feel lucky to have seen him several times (Reno and here in the Phoenix area). One day at a show here in Phoenix the announcer kept calling it a Bee Gee and no one corrected him….. I couldn’t stop laughing.
Well, Delmar did keep "Stayin' Alive" while flying it though.
Delmar's Gee Bee act was one of the best aerobatic acts that I've ever seen. Anyone who didn't get a chance to see it really missed out as it was pure magic. Damn, he was good. Does anyone know where he got the skills to fly that thing so well? Was Delmar a former aerobatic champ or what? He was impressive!
Back in the days when Mark Kallio and I did Delmar's website, his wife told me he had taught himself acro...
He then went on for "official" training so he could become "certified"...
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