Brown B-1 Racer

The Brown B-1 Racer was an American-built small monoplane racing aircraft of the 1930s.

Brown B-1 Racer
The B-1 Racer as restored postwar on display in the Wings over Miami aviation museum at Tamiami Airport, near Miami
Role	Racing aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Brown Aircraft Co.
Designer	Dan Holloway
First flight	1933
Introduction	1933
Retired	circa 1948
Status	preserved in a museum
Primary user	racing pilots
Number built	1
Variants	Brown B-2 Racer Brown B-3

Design and development

The B-1 Racer was built in 1933 by the Brown Aircraft Co. of Montebello, California, which had been founded by Lawrence W. Brown, previously of Clover Field, Santa Monica, 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.^[1]

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 85 hp (63 kW) Continental C-85 engine.

The aircraft continued to compete as a "midget racer", named Suzie Jayne.^[1]

The B-1 was withdrawn from flying in the late 1940s, and is currently owned by Kermit Weeks.^[2] The aircraft was on public display at the Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida, alongside the Brown B-2 replica.^[3][4]

Specifications (as rebuilt in 1947)

Data from Aerofiles.com

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 16 ft 0 in (4.88 m)
• Wingspan: 18 ft 9 in (5.72 m)
• Powerplant: 1 × Continental C-85 , 85 hp (63 kW)