(click pic for hi-res) The iconic Gee Bee R-1 at 1932 Cleveland National Air Races
(check out the Gee Bee category on AirPigz)
This is actually a picture of a picture... the enlarged photograph is on the wall at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC and I captured a picture of that photograph during the NASM AirPigz MeetUp back in late January 2013. I was spending quite a bit of time channeling Howard Hughes in the presence of the Hughes H-1 racer, and this photograph was on the wall nearby along with other interesting items from the golden age of air racing. I went ahead and took the pic knowing that one day I'd wanna post it here. I really like how the off-center Gee Bee helps relate the speed that the racer was traveling - probably around 250 mph, but maybe more. Be sure to click this CoolPix to open it up hi-res.
There's a similar picture viewable on the net (sample here) but it shows Jimmy and the Gee Bee going from left to right. After studying the two pix a bit I realized that the signboard in the pic here says 'Event L Lap' while the other pic says 'Event R Lap'. I haven't done the research to know for sure what that means, but I would assume that, for whatever reason, the airplane was flying the race course in opposite directions. One of these days I'll take the time to understand the meaning... but for now I'm content just imagining what it would have been like to be there in person (and in color) as this amazing aircraft and amazing pilot ripped a streak in the Cleveland sky. Seriously, if you do more than just look at this image, if you make a specific effort you can let your mind take you back to 1932 and a world that is so far away from the one we live in today. And yet there they were, less than 30 years after the Wright Brothers, and the Granville Brothers had a race airplane that could easily exceed 250 mph. (Jimmy set a world speed record in the Shell Speed Dash during the 1932 races of 296 mph!)
So there you have it, my Gee Bee obsession remains intact. More to come : )