The Brown B-2 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 A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

racing aircraft Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a previ ...

built in 1934.

Design and development

The B-2 Racer was built in 1934 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 aircraft, dubbed "Miss Los Angeles" was designed for competitive flying. The low-winged monoplane was designed with a minimal cross-section to reduce drag. It had an open single-person cockpit and a fixed tail-skid undercarriage like its predecessor, the B-1."American Airplanes Bo-Bu."
''Aerofiles'', March 2011. Retrieved: September 27, 2017.

Operational history

"Miss Los Angeles" made her debut at the 1934 National Air Races fully decked out in a distinctive scarlet paint with lettering and accents in gold leaf. Entered in the inaugural three-race Greve Trophy competition and flown by Roy Minor, she took first place in speed with 213.257 mph. Shortly thereafter "Miss Los Angeles" turned up at the Thompson Trophy race as the only "new" competitor and flew smartly for a second-place trophy. The B-2 participated in the 1935 National Air Races flown by Marion McKeen, but could manage no better than fifth place for the Greve Trophy. McKeen piloted the plane again in the 1936 and 1937 races, finishing fifth each year. "Miss Los Angeles" was absent from the 1938 racing season due to crash damage, but turned up at the National Air Races in 1939 with a cantilevered wing of a 21-foot span and retractable landing gear. These modifications were undone when it was determined they were ineffective. During the Greve Trophy races, pilot Lee Williams experienced an engine failure while turning into the scatter pylon, stalled and crashed fatally."The History of Air Racing; Photos & Records."
''Society of Air Racing Historians'', March 2011. Retrieved: September 27, 2017. A replica built by Ed Marquart for Bill Turner, renowned replicator of Golden Age racers is currently part of the collection at

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. Ogden 2007, p. 146.

Specifications

References

Notes

Bibliography