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Gere Sports Biplane
In the early 20th century, few people in New Zealand could afford factory-built aircraft, and New Zealander’s do-it-yourself attitude and lack of funds led to many people attempting to build their own. The Gere Sports Biplane is a 1930s homebuilt design.
The arrival
of Australian aviation pioneer Charles Kingsford-Smith to New Zealand on
the Southern Cross in 1928 inspired many New Zealanders to fly. ‘Smithy’
also helped and supported various people by test-flying their homebuilt.
There
was
literature available on how to build aircraft and aeronautics, in
magazines such as ‘Flight’
Many of the New Zealand homebuilt designs of the 1930s were unsuccessful, although some flew and a few received Certificates of Airworthiness. The engines were often motorcycle engines.
The Gere Sport Biplane was designed by American university student George Gere in 1932-33. It was one of the most popular pre-World War II homebuilt although little is known about its popularity in New Zealand.
Gere Sports Biplane under construction at MOTAT. Photo courtesy of Murray Rolfe.
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