Crashed in the Potomac River after takeoff from Bolling Field on June 7, 1929. Pilot Francisco Sarabia Tinoco drowned. A rag accidently left by a mechanic had been sucked into carburetor. Sarabia was returning to Mexico after setting a record Mexico City- New York City flight time. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

Modified airworthy replica of the original Gee Bee R6 (later designated Q.E.D.) Built between 2002 and 2013. For sale at Platinum Fighter Sales for $899,000 in 2022.

The Gee Bee R-6 is being prepared for sea transport to Britain for the MacRobertson Air Race, following its unsuccessful participation in the Bendix Trophy in which it wore race number 77. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

Mr. Jim Moss finished his modified replica of the Gee Bee Q.E.D. in 2013. It has a Wright R-1820 Cyclone 1425 HP engine instead of the original Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet 650 HP engine. The wings have a larger span and the vertical fin has about 20% more area than the original a/c. The original Gee Bee R6 was eventually redesignated the Q.E.D., hence Mr. Moss' Q.E.D. II.

Jacqueline Cochran and Wesley Smith Pratt unsuccessfully took part in the London - Melbourne air race in the Gee Bee R-6, dropping out in Bucharest. Photo from: Nationaal Archief (Netherlands)

The R-6 was larger than the earlier Gee Bee racers, but still seems an uncomfortable choice for the 18,000 km London to Melbourne Air Race. Jacqueline Cochran and Wesley Smith Pratt only got as far as Bucharest where they damaged Q.E.D. as the aircraft was named. It participated in other races but never finished one. In 1938 it was sold to Mexican pilot Francisco Sarabia as XB-AKM and renamed Conquistador del Cielo. After a flight from Mexico City to New York City in 1939, Sarabia crashed at Washington - Bolling Field and drowned in the Potomac. The plane has been restored and is preserved in his home town, Ciudad Lerdo. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum