Granville Brothers QED

One of the final examples of the Granville brother’s aircraft designs is this reproduction of the 1934 Q.E.D. Q.E.D. stands for the Latin phrase “qued erat demonstrandum” which translates to “Which was to be shown or demonstrated”.

In 1934, a team led by Zantford Granville designed the Q.E.D. to participate in the Mac Robertson London to Melbourne race. The aircraft remained faithful to what one would come to expect from a Granville design but it had a fuselage 10 ft. longer than a Gee Bee R-1 which it resembled and powered by a 1690 cu. In. engine. The original aircraft, race number 77 was piloted by Lee Gehlbach in the 1934 Bendix Race as a shakedown race for the Mac Robinson. During the race, the cowl attachment failed and the Q.E.D. arrived after the deadline. Although the Q.E.D. was repaired in time for the Mac Robinson and participated in other races in the following years, the 1934 Bendix marked the beginning of frustrating precedent in that the aircraft never finished a race that it participated in. The original aircraft   eventually found a home in the Museo Francisco Sarabia in Mexico City, Mexico.

This aircraft on display here at the 2014 Reno Air Races is a reproduction that was the product of a project headed by Jim Moss. This aircraft is powered by a Wright Cyclone R-1820 producing 1425 h.p. as opposed to the Pratt & Whitney R-1690 originally used but in every other way it is true to the original design. This aircraft first took to the skies on September 26, 2013 and at the Oshkosh Air Show it received the Master Achievement Award.