PHOTO.."GEE BEE" RACE PLANE...NATIONAL AIR RACE WINNER

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PHOTO.."GEE BEE" RACE PLANE...NATIONAL AIR RACE WINNER Description : ORIGINAL VINTAGE PHOTO PLEASE SEE ALL 100+ ART CHESTER/AIR RACE PHOTOS I WILL BE LISTING ALL THIS WEEK UNDER MY OTHER AUCTIONS I CAN COMBINE SHIPPING FOR ONLY 1 CHARGE OF 1.50 NO MATTER HOW MANY PHOTOS WON! EVERYTHING I SELL COMES WITH A 7 DAY INSPECTION RETURN FOR ANY REASON SO PLEASE BID WITH CONFIDENCE. IMAGES ON LEFT BLOW UP HUGE......ALSO LARGER VIEW BELOW. I CAN'T BEGAN TO TELL YOU HOW RARE & WONDERFUL THESE IMAGES ARE! PLEASE READ ALL BELOW FOR HOW I AQUIRED THESE RARE PHOTOS FROM ART CHESTERS FAMILY & ABOUT ART CHESTER ================================================ THE ITEM - ORIGINAL 1930's ART CHESTER (KILLED 1949) PHOTOGRAPH FROM HIS ESTATE & PERSONAL PHOTO ALBUM. 1931 ORIGINAL PHOTO "GEE BEE 2 "CITY OF SPRINGFIELD" (4" 1/2 X 3" 1/4) CRASHED AND KILLED PILOT LOWELL BAYLES TRYING TO SET SPEED RECORD IN 1931 HISTORY OF PLANE - "Granville Brothers Gee Bee Z "City of Springfield" "The Great Depression was tough on the aircraft industry, especially the sale of luxuries like the small sport planes the Granville Brothers built in Springfield, Massachusetts. The decision was made to build and enter a racer in the Cleveland Air Races in hopes that prize money could help support their dwindling sales. The first racer, engineered by Bob Hall, and built by the Granville Brothers (hence Gee Bee) began in July of 1931. In less than 6 weeks “The City of Springfield” made its first flight at a cost of less than $5,000. The Gee Bee would be flown by expert pilot, Lowell Bayles, and won every race it entered, including the Shell speed dash at 267.34 mph and the famous Thompson Trophy pylon race! They more than recouped their original investment." The success of the “Z” model was short lived however. Bayles had a larger 750 hp engine installed and was going to make an attempt at the World Land Speed Record. On December 5, 1931 at the Wayne County Airport in Detroit, Michigan, only 106 days after its first flight, Bayles came speeding in to the timing gate when, within a matter of seconds, the right wing came off and the tumbling Gee Bee hit the ground, erupting into a ball of flames! Bayles was killed and the reputation of the Gee Bee as a killer airplane began. " ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THIS PLANES CRASH - "Travelling over 300 miles per hour (483 km/h), 75 feet (23 m) from the ground, the Model Z suddenly pitched up, the right wing folded beyond the flying wire attachment point, most likely due to aileron flutter stressing the wing spar and causing it to fail. The plane crashed alongside of a railroad track in a huge ball of flame and smoke. Lowell Bayles body was thrown 300 feet (91 m) from the disintegrated plane." LAST PHOTO IS FOR REFERENCE ONLY....YOUR BIDDING ON THE ORIGINAL PHOTO ORIGINAL PHOTO TAKEN AT FROM ART CHESTERS PERSONAL PHOTO ALBUM WHAT A GREAT RARE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH!...A ONE OF KIND SUPER RARE IMAGE! ART CHESTER - ART CHESTER WAS A WORLD FAMOUS THOMPSON CUP AIR RACER, BARNSTORMER, DESIGNER & BUILDER OF AIRCRAFT. ART CHESTER WAS ALSO USED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE POWERPLANT IN THE P-51 MUSTANG. TRADGICALY LIKE MANY AIR RACING PILOTS FROM THE 1920's-40's, ART CHESTER WAS KILLED IN 1949 DURING AN AIR RACE IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. A ONCE IN A LIFETIME CHANCE TO AQUIRE THESE AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF AVIATION RACING. PHOTOS FROM ART CHESTERS PERSONAL PHOTO ALBUM COVERING HIS EARLIEST DAYS OF DAREDEVIL BARNSTORMING IN THE 1920's, TO THE DANGEROUS COMPETTION OF AIR RACING IN THE 1930's. ALL OF THESE PHOTOS HAVE NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED, SEEN OR OFFERED FOR SALE BEFORE. SOMEONE COULD USE THESE IN A BOOK ABOUT ART CHESTER OR EARLY AVIATION RACING. ALL ARE GUARANTED ORIGINAL & LIKE EVERYTHING I SELL COME WITH A 7 DAY INSPECTION RETURN FOR ANY REASON IF YOUR UNHAPPY. MORE ABOUT ART CHESTER & HIS MOST FAMOUS PLANE "THE JEEP" - (CUT & PASTE) http://f... read more

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