The Brown B-1 Racer was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

-built small monoplane racing aircraft of the 1930s.

Design and development

The B-1 Racer was built in 1933 by the Brown Aircraft Co. of

Montebello, California Montebello (Italian for "Beautiful Mountain") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located just east of East Los Angeles and southwest of San Gabriel Valley. It is an independent city. east of downtown Los Angeles. It is ...

, which had been founded by Lawrence W. Brown, previously of Clover Field,

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

, California. The B-1 was designed by Dean Holloway and was intended for competitive flying at the hands of Ralph Bushey. The diminutive aircraft was a low-winged monoplane with an open single-person cockpit and a fixed tail-skid undercarriage."American Airplanes Bo-Bu."
''Aerofiles'', April 2009. Retrieved: September 27, 2017.

Operational history

Ralph Bushey raced the aircraft ''NR83Y'' in several prewar competitions in the United States, but the aircraft was damaged in a crash after the engine fell out during the race. It was rebuilt in 1947 with a removable closed cabin and powered by an

Continental C-85 The Continental O-190 (Company designations C75 and C85) is a series of engines made by Continental Motors beginning in the 1940s. Of flat-four configuration, the engines produced 75 hp (56 kW) or 85 hp (63 kW) respectively. ...

engine. The aircraft continued to compete as a "midget racer", named ''Suzie Jayne''. The B-1 was withdrawn from flying in the late 1940s, and is currently owned by

Kermit Weeks Kermit Weeks (born July 14, 1953 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American aviation enthusiast, pilot, and aircraft collector. He has competed in aerobatics, designed aircraft, and promoted aviation and vintage aircraft restoration. Oil and ...

. The aircraft was on public display at the

Fantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida. It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami, Florida ...

in Polk City, Florida, alongside the Brown B-2 replica."Fantasy of Flight."
''Rod's Aviation Photos''. Retrieved: September 27, 2017."FAA Registry N-Number Inquiry Results."
''

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

''. Retrieved: September 27, 2017.

Specifications (as rebuilt in 1947)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Ogden, Bob. ''Aviation Museums and Collections of North America'', Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. . {{Brown Aircraft 1930s United States sport aircraft Racing aircraft B-001 Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1933