Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Single-seat homebuilt biplane

Power Plant:

One 67 kw (90 hp) Subaru EA-81 (1800-cc) four-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Gere Sport Biplane, also known as the Gere Biplane,  was designed in 1930 by George Gere junior, a 19 year old student at the University of Minnesota, as a cheap, easy to build, light aircraft. In 1933 plans to build the aircraft were published in the American magazine ‘Flying Manual’ and a number of prospective flyers throughout the United States commenced construction of aircraft, a number being completed and flown. However, George was killed in a powered ice-boat accident when struck by the propeller on 18 January 1931 before the aircraft was completed and his father, George senior, completed the first aircraft. It was subsequently test flown by Elmore Wall, a test pilot for the Mohawk Aircraft Company, at Wold-Chamberlin Field, Minneapolis in Minnesota in 1932. Those who flew the aircraft praised its performance, although it was only fitted with a converted Chevrolet four-cylinder liquid-cooled motor car engine. Eventually the machine was donated to the School of Aeronautics in Minnesota and was placed on display.

A number were built around the world and various engines were used, including the 30 kw (40 hp) Szekely air-cooled radial, the 30 kw (40 hp) Ford “A” and 15 kw (20 hp) Ford “T” units, converted Chevrolets, and the 45 kw (60 hp) Dayton Bear. The wing spar was constructed from Sitka spruce.

One was built and flown in New Zealand. This aircraft has been restored and has been placed on display at the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) in Auckland. Construction of this aircraft was commenced at Greenmeadows in Hawkes Bay in the 1930s. It was sold almost complete in 1948 but the new owner at Waipukurau did not complete construction.

The airframe, without the engine, was obtained by aircraft restorer Stan Smith in about 1964 and was placed in storage in Wellington. It was conveyed to Auckland in 1965 and was donated to the museum. Volunteers restored the aircraft and installed a three-cylinder Szekely radial engine, which was not the original engine installed in the aircraft, this engine having been imported to be installed in an incomplete Lincoln Sport. Some years later a Bristol Cherub engine was located at Waipukurau and it is thought this was the engine originally installed.

Another was built in Australia by an officer serving in the RAAF, Flying Officer D Milne, whilst he was stationed at Mildura, VIC. In October 1970 it was obtained by the Camden Museum of Aviation at Camden, later Narellan, New South Wales, where it was placed on display for a period hanging from the roof of the hangar. This aircraft is not known to have been completed or flown.

The Reid brothers in about 1934 at Bennetts, New Zealand, a small town on the Rangiora to Oxford railway line, commenced construction of a Gere Sport which became known as the Bennetts Aviation Gere Sport.  They then built another aircraft fitted with a motor vehicle engine taken from a Rugby car, this type of car having been produced by the Durant Motor Company.  Some testing of the two aircraft built was carried out in local farm paddocks. Whereas the original design used a steel tube fuselage with fabric covering, the aircraft built used all-wood construction, the wings being an under-cambered aerofoil of that period with two wooden spars, ailerons fitted to the upper wing, the original design having the ailerons on the lower wing.  The original undercarriage was rigid and relied on balloon tyres to absorb impact.

This example was initially fitted with a converted 2000 cc Ford Cortina engine but this was later replaced by a 2200 cc engine from a Toyota Hilux enclosed in a Townend ring.  This example was eventually completed at Cust in New Zealand by the Belworthy family, this aircraft ZK-EFZ (c/n BEL8) being the eighth light aircraft completed by the family finished in a scheme as appeared in the 1930s on Boeing F4B4 fighters of the United States Navy.  In later times it has been fitted with a polished aluminium cowling to replace the Townend ring.

In recent years the type has become popular again, with updated plans and new construction methods being used.

At least one other example has been completed in Australia, this being built by Richard and David Shaw, which became VH-RSD (c/n 01) in 2006, initially being fitted with an 80 kw (100 hp) Jabiru 2200 four-cylinder air-cooled engine, but which later was fitted with a Rotec R2800 radial engine to make it more reminiscent of a 1930s style biplane.