Pacific Aeromodel 82" Gee Bee Senior Sportster aquisition and refurbishment.

[Mike.K 60]

I got "Robbed" again...... Robs ceiling collection of used models always holds an attraction for me.

Once again a glance to the ceiling at Avicraft proved too much for me. A big red and white 82" Gee Bee caught my eye. Battered,dirty and generally of down at heal appearance, the model had obviously seen significant battle action during its flying career. A date stamp on a wing root suggests this model was manufactured in 2002. Rob told me this model although big, was light enough to be allowed to be permitted to fly within our local FRZ restrictions. The model required a four stroke 180 size motor or some suitable petrol equivalent. An electric 12 cell set up would also make a suitable power option.

 With Robs reasurance that this high tail, long fuselage version of the somewhat notorious 1930`s "Golden Age" racer would be a good flyer, I took the plunge and negociated my deal. Getting the model home and having given it a serious wash, the potential of the model started to show. The worst aspects were the glass fibre wheel spats which were quite seriously cracked, damaged and in a very un-tidy state. Glass fibre repairs form part of my skill set used whilst spending many years as a self employed small boat engineer. Whilst glass fibre work is time consuming, smelly, dusty, dirty and thought by many to be highly obnoxious, if you can tolerate the smell and the mess, it is quite amazing what a few hours work with either epoxy or polyester core materials can restore to former magnificience. Replacement new parts for this Gee Bee are available from the USA, but they are relatively expensive and have something like a three month lead and delivery timetable. Dealing over-seas though is hardly ever easy and I decided that for about a quarter of the cost of buying new parts from across "The Pond", I could repair these shattered and battered components with relative ease. Now heading towards summer, I can work outside the workshop and avoid the stink caused by the chemicals used in polyester resin. My normal hand and power tools are more than sufficient for the cutting and sanding required during the recification process. Restoration work has already begun and has given me a bit of a break from the high effort detail work needed to complete the Stampe.

The large radial engine glass fibre cowl measures about TEN INCHES in diameter. It is quite a chunk and surprisingly has suffered only minimal damage during the models former flying exploits. It has a few holes drilled in it to suite the previous engine installation and is in reasonable order. It only requires a few glass repairs to get it fixed up again. The airframe is in quite good condition with some obvious repairs having taken place to the underside of the wings. The covering is a light weight film and lacks the opacity found in modern covering materials. An hour with a covering iron sealed down lifted edges and tightened up slackened areas. Visually, that together with a good clean up, massively improved the overall appearance of the model.  I`ve decided to get this Gee Bee flying before recovering it with the wonderful Hobby King covering material. Whether the model flies initially with or without the wheel trouser/spat moldings depends on the speed that I can get them restored.

Rob sold me half a dozen good used servos, so with a receiver, NiMh battery and a 180 four stroke motor fitted, it wouldn`t take much to get this model going. This first posting on this thread then just shows what has been aquired and what I have to do to get this model flyable. For £80, this used model represents excellent value for yet another model added to my rather over-large collection of RC model planes. Watch this thread to see how this Gee Bee pans out.

A few images now of the model as it currently stands.

Mike

Edited April 20 by Mike.K
Yet more typo corrections!