The Gee Bee R-1 gained fame when it was flown by legendary pilot Jimmy Doolittle in the 1932 Thompson Trophy Race. Doolittle dominated the event, lapping all but one of his competitors. He later remarked on the aircraft’s surprising handling, noting that he could make tight pylon turns without losing altitude—a testament to the Gee Bee’s superb agility at high speeds. Later, at the Shell Speed Dash, Doolittle and the R-1 set a Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) world landplane speed record of 296 mph, cementing the aircraft’s place in aviation history.
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