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No real surprizes, sharp but predictable. The back seat of a two-place Pitts is a good place to get Gee Bee E comfortable. Here's the Pirep I wrote for Roger Cains story in Pac Flyer.
Gee Bee Test Flight
March 1st 2004
I showed up after flying my Piper Clipper Amphibian over from Sonoma with Randy Reyes. We almost turned back at Lake Barryessa when we realized that the wind was blowing a good 30 MPH in the Central Valley. I thought it would be too windy to fly the Gee Bee, but Randy wanted to keep going to go see Scott Crosby. When we turned final at Lincoln, I realized that the wind was not gusting and was directly down the runway centerline. The 30 mph wind was not a negative factor (and could be, in fact, a positive one) as long as it was not gusting.
Jim Teal left the decision up to me, and I chose to try an abbreviated test flight. I had intended to check the airplane out in the air, and then do three take offs and landings. But with the wind, I thought one landing would be enough.
After shoehorning myself into the airplane, I found the cockpit to be snug but comfortable. The brakes are very sensitive, and you have to make a concerted effort to stay off of them. After the run-up, I taxied into position and stopped to take in the sight picture for the three point attitude. I added full power, and after the torque had time to do its thing, I released the back pressure to pick up the tail (and increase the visibility over the nose). With the wind, and the airplane’s amazing acceleration it almost came off the ground as the tail came up. The airplane was soon climbing out smartly, and as the ground adjustable prop was set too flat, I had to come right back on the power to keep the Warner from over speeding.
I climbed to a safe altitude to do some cranking and banking, and put the airplane through some stalls. It stalls at about 75 mph indicated. I found the airplane maneuvers, stalls, and rolls nicely, and it was soon time to go shoot a landing.
As I approached I realized that the gusts had picked up considerably. I approached slightly fast so that I would have plenty of time to feel for the ground while burning off the excess airspeed. I intended to do a three point landing, but on the first one the mains touched while I was still in a tail low wheel landing attitude, and I got a relatively good balloon (about three feet). The airplane responded quickly to a little release of back pressure to cap the balloon, and now that I knew where the mains hung in the extended position it was quite simple to hold the airplane off for a full stall three point touch down. With it's wing so close to the ground in ground effect, a full stall landing seems to pay out at about 62 mph (needless to say I was not looking at the airspeed at this point). It floats longer than you would expect for an airplane with its wing loading.
The rollout was interesting. I was never forced to use any braking and the airplane is not to difficult to keep straight, but I can see how you could get into trouble with it. It does nothing for you, and it expects you to stay awake until it’s cylinders are cold. It has no shortage of control effectiveness, but I believe that not only is the directional control envelope relatively narrow, the airplane gives you the feeling that it would be difficult to get back into that envelope if you ever let it out. It has a very narrow landing gear, is short coupled, and is also somewhat top heavy (which would give it a tendency to want to roll off of it’s landing if it was side loaded).
After the first landing, (the touchdown of which probably did not look that nice from the grandstands) I felt that I could not end the day with just one. I did two more full stop landings before calling it a day. These were nicer three point landings, and I was happy with the way the airplane quickly responded to control inputs. It is almost the direct opposite in flying characteristics to the 1918 Curtiss “Hisso Jenny” that I have been flying, and I believe that it would be easier to over control the Gee Bee than to under control it.
It was a real thrill and an honor to get to fly a Gee Bee (thank you Jim Teal and Scott Crosby) and as Scott said it enters you into a very small group of pilots that have had the privilege of flying a Gee Bee and yet have not damaged one.
Eric Presten, as written for Roger Cain, April 11th 2004.
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Fly low. Fly slow, Fly safe.
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