Gee Bee Model R

The Hangar Sep 2, 2026

The Gee Bee Model R, the Granville Brothers of Springfield, and the Barrel-Shaped Racer That Won the Thompson Trophy and Killed Almost Everyone Who Flew It After

The barrel-shaped Gee Bee Model R-One hit 252 mph to win the 1932 Thompson Trophy - and killed nearly every pilot who flew it after Doolittle walked away.

Taildragger

The Hangar Aug 19, 2026

The Gee Bee Model R, the Granville Brothers' Flying Barrel, and Jimmy Doolittle's Two Hundred Fifty-Two Mile-an-Hour Gamble Over Cleveland

How Jimmy Doolittle tamed the deadly Gee Bee Model R to win the 1932 Thompson Trophy at 252 mph - then walked away for good.

Taildragger

The Hangar Aug 17, 2026

The Gee Bee Model R, Jimmy Doolittle, and the Flying Barrel That Won the Thompson Trophy and Terrified Every Man Who Ever Strapped Into It

How Jimmy Doolittle tamed the Gee Bee Model R - aviation's most feared racer - to win the 1932 Thompson Trophy and a world speed record.

Taildragger

The Hangar Aug 14, 2026

The Gee Bee Model R Super Sportster, the Granville Brothers' Flying Fuel Tank, and Jimmy Doolittle's Terrifying Ride to the Thompson Trophy

The story of the Gee Bee Model R and how Jimmy Doolittle rode the most dangerous racer in America to a 1932 Thompson Trophy win.

Taildragger

The Hangar Jul 31, 2026

The Gee Bee Model R, the Flying Beer Keg the Granville Brothers Built for Speed, and the Nineteen Thirty-Two Afternoon Jimmy Doolittle Wrestled It Around the Cleveland Pylons

How Jimmy Doolittle tamed the deadly Gee Bee Model R to win the 1932 Thompson Trophy and set a 296 mph world speed record.

Taildragger