Glories May Driving

[BillW103]

The weather in the Pacific North West has been the best in years. I have driven the Bugeye about every day for almost 2 weeks. Here is a picture I wanted to share. I seem to have no controlee over where the picture goes.

 

[bug_sixty]

ditto and ditto

 

[Pythias]

Oh yeah... after last year, when driving weather only started to appear in late late June, this May has been a real pip. The rhoddys are in bloom all over, and the colors all POP!

 

[aeronca65t]

Nice car and nice Gee Bee. I may have seen that one at an air show one time (there aren't that many of them). - - Glad your weather is good.....it rained here today, but it's been mostly very nice (top down in the Miata and MGB).

 

[Pythias]

I may be wrong, and I have before and will again, but I don't think that's a GEE BEE... or a replica.. too long, .. painted like one, but it just looks too big especially compared to the BUG EYE...

 

[nomad]

Bill W, clear it up! Really cool pic, car, and plane, regardless! Thank's for posting.
My midwest weather, on the other hand, stinks! Frost last night and just got the salt washed off the road's last week end. Nearly constant snow till recently then rain. It is helping out last year's drought situation though by recharging the bank!

Kurt.

 

[aeronca65t]

Bill: It's some sort of a replica Gee Bee for sure. All the real Gee Bees have crashed! The too-long cockpit gives it away as a fake. I saw Delmar Benjamin's replica (which was more of an exact copy) years ago. I just looked it up and it is no longer flying.

 

[65_BRG_Sprite]

Love to hear that beauy fired up!

 

[Pythias]

There is a replica at the Evergreen Air Museum down in McMinnville Oregon. Only about half as long as the plane in the picture. .... .. I'm headed out for my son Andrew's graduation this week. I will be stopping by the "Planes of Fame" museum in Chino as a part of the trip. I'm wondering if they too have a copy, or perhaps and original..

No, just checked. Theirs is a static replica .. but the do have a real N9MB that is operational... I can hardly wait.

 

[BillW103]

Well the rain is back to bad for the BE happy for the new lawn.
OK, It is a QED II. 30% larger than a slandered GeeBee. One was built in the 30ies. It was owned by a man from Mexico. He crashed it and died but didn’t heart the plane to much. It is now in a museum in Mexico City. I have watched it being built for the last 8 years. The first time I saw it it was a stack of tubing. It should fly for the first time this summer. The wings and vertical stabilizer are a little larger than the first one so they don’t end up like the first pilot. Google QED GeeBee and there is a good Wikipedia wright up. It menschen’s this one.https://s1195.photobucket.com/user/williame103/library/QED II

 

[bug_sixty]

For you guy's that like vintage planes and are up in the NW...McMinnville (South of Portland about an 1 1/2 hours has a great collection....and of course the Spruce Goose....But, the world class collection of the rarest of rare planes "one of a kind restorations"... Paul Allen (Microsoft founder) is assembling in Everett WA next to the Boeing complex is a must see...worth the time if your a buff....Flying Heritage Collection....

 

[James_the_elder]

Just imagine a bugeye with stock suspension and drum brakes with a 427 Cobra V8 (and maybe
a turbo just for kicks) stuffed in the front engine compartment . There you have the GeeBee racer concept.
They tried for the most powerful engine mated to the smallest possible airframe. The result was vicious handling
and a definite tendency to swap ends in turns. The ultimate thrill ride for sure but one with too
often fatal results. It's a great photo.

 

[JPSmit]

Coming back to weather. May 12 Mother's Day. Snow. Meh

 

[bug_sixty]

yea its Global... WHAT!