Gee Bee flying

[BuckyD]

Re: Gee Bee flying

Every modern-day airshow/air race fan who's ever been fortunate enough to have been thrilled to watch any of Delmar Benjamin's incredible Gee Bee R-2 replica flying displays during his tenure with this amazing aircraft, should truly count their blessings.

For any of us to see one of these Golden Era racer types 'FLY' is fantastic, let alone watch Delmar do what he did in putting the R-2 through its' paces! How cool was that?!!! I know it was one of my alltime-favorite aviation fan experiences, that I'll always relish remembering.

I got a big kick outta hearing one of my longtime Alaska bush pilot friends- a senior aviator w/many hours in his logbook, make the comment upon seeing Delmar's Gee Bee up close for the first time at Reno: "Hell, I don't think I'd ever even wanna TRY flying any airplane that you're able to reach out and touch the tail light from the cockpit - now that's just plane- NUTS!"

Here's a trio of archive shots to add to this excellent thread, which has been really enjoyable for me. Thanks for all the great photo posts and neat notes! DBD

Photos (L-R):

1. Sun. 3/20/94 - Delmar Benjamin bends a pylon going around the race course w/the Gee Bee at the innaugural Phoenix 500 air races at Williams-Gateway Airport in Mesa, AZ.

2. - 3. Wed. 9/16/98 - Delmar duels with Bruce Bohannon's famous Formula-1 racer- 'Pushy Galore' locked-together out on Reno/Stead Field's short course- down the main straight-away past Inner 1 Pylon, and into the turn around Inner 2.

[Red]

Re: Gee Bee flying

Every modern-day airshow/air race fan who's ever been fortunate enough to have been thrilled to watch any of Delmar Benjamin's incredible Gee Bee R-2 replica flying displays during his tenure with this amazing aircraft, should truly count their blessings.

For any of us to see one of these Golden Era racer types 'FLY' is fantastic, let alone watch Delmar do what he did in putting the R-2 through its' paces! How cool was that?!!! I know it was one of my alltime-favorite aviation fan experiences, that I'll always relish remembering.

I got a big kick outta hearing one of my longtime Alaska bush pilot friends- a senior aviator w/many hours in his logbook, make the comment upon seeing Delmar's Gee Bee up close for the first time at Reno: "Hell, I don't think I'd ever even wanna TRY flying any airplane that you're able to reach out and touch the tail light from the cockpit - now that's just plane- NUTS!"

Here's a trio of archive shots to add to this excellent thread, which has been really enjoyable for me. Thanks for all the great photo posts and neat notes! DBD

Photos (L-R):

1. Sun. 3/20/94 - Delmar Benjamin bends a pylon going around the race course w/the Gee Bee at the innaugural Phoenix 500 air races at Williams-Gateway Airport in Mesa, AZ.

2. - 3. Wed. 9/16/98 - Delmar duels with Bruce Bohannon's famous Formula-1 racer- 'Pushy Galore' locked-together out on Reno/Stead Field's short course- down the main straight-away past Inner 1 Pylon, and into the turn around Inner 2.

Thanks for the pics Bucky You know...I still get goosebumps thinking about all the times I got to see Del fly between Reno and Watsonville etc. Never ceased to be amazed. No matter how many times I had seen his act, and knowing what was to come.....he ALWAYS delivered a show that was over the top! My favorites were the coast to coast knife edge passes and the low inverted ones that would sink out of sight if you were less than 3 rows or so up.

Really cool as well was seeing him bend it around the sticks and getting a feel of what it might have been like to see that stuff in the golden age.

Man I miss that. Wasn't there rumblings of him doing a follow on act with Solution or Meteor or something?