I've always liked the GeeBee Z. I drooled on it a little at the Seattle Air and Space Museum. It looks like a beast to fly which makes it interesting. Does anybody know where a guy could get the full scale build plans?
Thanks PZL
GeeBee Z plans?
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Re: GeeBee Z plans?
You can try Kevin Kimball in Florida. He built one that Kermit Weeks has. IF he will sell you plans I'm sure they would cost a small fortune.
Here's a post of his from the biplane forum regarding the Model Z. Here's the link as well.
http://www.biplaneforum.com/showthread.php?p=112750
The price I set for z data is in fact go away money. If someone wants the data bad enough to pay the price I will sell it. I don't want to sell it. not because I don't want to see others build a z. It is because i know I would be married to that person for years and will have to teach them how to perform many of the tasks involved.
I met some strange people who are Gee Bee fanatics along the way. They found me. I didn't search them out. Met some great people too. But the weirdos outweighed the good ones. Revisiting that would not be be fun. And part of my logic for the price.
Mac is correct. It would take about $750k to have a z built in a qualified shop. We had $95k in parts and materials in 1994 dollars. Plus 1500 hrs engineering and 4500 hrs actual hands on work. That didn't count 1 year of research and any of the talking time about the project. It was a 4 year project done on weekends and nights not a company job. So in today's money and parts cost, it would be somewhere between $150k-200k in parts and materials. That is if you are careful with spending. If it is going to take someone in this forum 5 years to build, the materials will come to $300k. Most likely 6000 hours to build since you will have to learn how to do many things that I already learned how to do.
As Mac wrote, others can do the same research we did. They can figure it all out. It isn't magic. You just have to go find it. Do that year or two of searching then give me a call. We can share some stories then. Too bad some of the people we talked to have passed away. They were a wealth of information.
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www.pittsmodel12.com
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Here's a post of his from the biplane forum regarding the Model Z. Here's the link as well.
http://www.biplaneforum.com/showthread.php?p=112750
The price I set for z data is in fact go away money. If someone wants the data bad enough to pay the price I will sell it. I don't want to sell it. not because I don't want to see others build a z. It is because i know I would be married to that person for years and will have to teach them how to perform many of the tasks involved.
I met some strange people who are Gee Bee fanatics along the way. They found me. I didn't search them out. Met some great people too. But the weirdos outweighed the good ones. Revisiting that would not be be fun. And part of my logic for the price.
Mac is correct. It would take about $750k to have a z built in a qualified shop. We had $95k in parts and materials in 1994 dollars. Plus 1500 hrs engineering and 4500 hrs actual hands on work. That didn't count 1 year of research and any of the talking time about the project. It was a 4 year project done on weekends and nights not a company job. So in today's money and parts cost, it would be somewhere between $150k-200k in parts and materials. That is if you are careful with spending. If it is going to take someone in this forum 5 years to build, the materials will come to $300k. Most likely 6000 hours to build since you will have to learn how to do many things that I already learned how to do.
As Mac wrote, others can do the same research we did. They can figure it all out. It isn't magic. You just have to go find it. Do that year or two of searching then give me a call. We can share some stories then. Too bad some of the people we talked to have passed away. They were a wealth of information.
__________________
Kevin Kimball
Zellwood, FL USA
www.pittsmodel12.com
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Re: GeeBee Z plans?
swervin wrote:You can try Kevin Kimball in Florida. He built one that Kermit Weeks has. IF he will sell you plans I'm sure they would cost a small fortune.
Here's a post of his from the biplane forum regarding the Model Z. Here's the link as well.
http://www.biplaneforum.com/showthread.php?p=112750
The price I set for z data is in fact go away money. If someone wants the data bad enough to pay the price I will sell it. I don't want to sell it. not because I don't want to see others build a z. It is because i know I would be married to that person for years and will have to teach them how to perform many of the tasks involved.
I met some strange people who are Gee Bee fanatics along the way. They found me. I didn't search them out. Met some great people too. But the weirdos outweighed the good ones. Revisiting that would not be be fun. And part of my logic for the price.
Mac is correct. It would take about $750k to have a z built in a qualified shop. We had $95k in parts and materials in 1994 dollars. Plus 1500 hrs engineering and 4500 hrs actual hands on work. That didn't count 1 year of research and any of the talking time about the project. It was a 4 year project done on weekends and nights not a company job. So in today's money and parts cost, it would be somewhere between $150k-200k in parts and materials. That is if you are careful with spending. If it is going to take someone in this forum 5 years to build, the materials will come to $300k. Most likely 6000 hours to build since you will have to learn how to do many things that I already learned how to do.
As Mac wrote, others can do the same research we did. They can figure it all out. It isn't magic. You just have to go find it. Do that year or two of searching then give me a call. We can share some stories then. Too bad some of the people we talked to have passed away. They were a wealth of information.
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Kevin Kimball
Zellwood, FL USA
http://www.pittsmodel12.com
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He kinda sounds like a a$$hole.
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