GEE BEE OVER SPRINGFIELD

Air Classics, Oct 2004

Hometown racer

The city of Springfield, Massachusetts, is keeping the memory of the accomplishments of the Granville brothers alive, reports Gilles Auliard. The three brothers became legends in the world of 1930's air racing with the Gee Bee line of racing machines including the R-I and R-2.

However, their celebrity was short-lived, as well as their aircraft, and their designs acquired the reputation of being dangerous even in the hands of the most experienced pilots. Only one original Gee Bee survives - an early Model A biplane (N901K, c/n 8) which is preserved at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. However, there are several flying replicas of these interesting machines.

The recent opening of the William C. Sullivan Visitor Information Center in Springfield offered the city the opportunity to honor the memory of the hometown celebrities. The same city that turned the old Springfield Airport into a shopping center financed the construction of a fiberglass replica of the Gee Bee R-I as it appeared at the 1932 Cleveland National Air Races. The full-size model was erected in the atrium of the center before it opened to public. The center is located at 1200 Columbus Ave. and can be seen while traveling on Highway 91 through Springfield.