We were recently was visited by Dawn Holland, the granddaughter of Lowell Bayles, who was the famous Golden Age pilot that won the Thompson Trophy Race in 1931 in the Gee Bee Zee.
Presentation of Dawn’s artwork
Dawn never got to meet her grandfather who, unfortunately, he was killed later that year trying to break the world speed record in the same airplane with a more powerful engine. Dawn came out and presented me with a painting she did herself of the aircraft in honor of keeping the spirit of her grandfather alive.
Our reproduction of the Gee Bee Zee
I acquired a very faithful reproduction of the aircraft, which is on display at Fantasy of Flight.
Kermit