The Gere Sport Biplane was a 30's era homebuilt biplane, designed and built by George "Bud" Gere, who was killed in an accident before he could witness his plane's first flight. Early models used Ford Model T and Model A engines. There are several of these planes still being built and flown around the world.From information collected by Keith Morris (see below for link to his research):
"The MOTAT Gere Sport was started as a project at Greenmeadows in Hawkes Bay prior to WW 2, and it was sold in 1948, substantially complete, to an owner at Waipukurau who intended to finish the project, but this never happened. This would have been our first post WW 2 homebuilt aircraft if it had been completed (not counting the Savage Special and the Lincoln Sport that were pre-WW 2 aircraft).
Stan bought the airframe from a Mr Corban in Waipukurau in the mid 1960s and at that stage it was complete but without an engine or instruments. He stored it at Wellington with his various other aircraft and when he shifted to Auckland in 1965 he arranged a deal whereby all his aircraft were trucked from Wellington to Auckland (probably in a TEAL truck which did a weekly Auckland-Wellington-Auckland run), on the basis that he donate an aircraft to MOTAT. This deal involved a Mr Donohue who worked for TEAL and was also involved with MOTAT. So the Gere Sport was donated to MOTAT by Stan.
The aircraft was restored by MOTAT volunteers who installed a 3 cylinder Szekely radial engine, which was not the original engine (and which had been imported for a Lincoln Sportsplane that was not completed). Some years later Robbie Gentry discovered a Bristol Cherub aircraft engine at Waipukurau and Stan thinks that this may have been the engine that was to power the Gere.
Thanks very much for the information Stan and TravelAdastra."
Photos
- Motat example on display (Richard Wesley)
References
2 comments:
I have read elsewhere that Bud Gere died of the flu before flying his plane. Elmore Wall was the test pilot on the first flight. I am nearly finished with a Ford Mod.A powered Gere- expect flight test in Spring.Coincidently my name is Wall. Bud Wall, Bouse, AZ.(Not known to be relative of Elmore)
Thanks for the comment, would be great to see a photo or your example for comparison (richardwesley@yahoo.com)
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