Builders, innovators

Springfield, Massachusetts’ Edward, Mark, Robert, Thomas and Zantford Granville are best known for producing the Gee Bee Super Sportsters that have become synonymous with “The Golden Age of Air Racing.” The concept was to fit the most powerful engine available in the smallest possible airframe. Gee Bees were fast, successful and star-crossed. The company opened in 1929 and went bankrupt four years later after a series of fatalities, including Lowell Bayles, Florence Klingensmith, Johnny Kytle and Mark and Zantford Granville. In 1930, its Model X finished second in the 5,541-mile, city-to-city “All-America Flying Derby.” The following year, Bayles flew the Model Z to victory in the coveted Thompson Trophy. Inductee Jimmy Doolittle captured the Thompson Trophy in 1932 and set a new world speed record (296 mph) in the Shell Speed Dash. In all, Granville Brothers Aircraft built only 24 airplanes, but they were so beloved that in 1970 enthusiasts started to build replicas, one of which was featured in the 1991 film The Rocketeer. They remain popular in museums and at air shows today.