Gee Bee Air Rally
Encyclopedia
Gee Bee Air Rally was released in 1987 by Activision
as a computer game. The game was made for Amiga
, Amstrad CPC
, Commodore 64
and ZX Spectrum
It is a flight simulator
set in the twenties
and early thirties
in which the player is the pilot
of a small airplane
. The player's goal is to increase the score by flying the airplane through several races and special events. The player's aircraft is modelled on the Granville Brothers
Gee Bee Super Sportster Model Z, a "flying engine" which was the predecessor of the more famous, and even more extreme, Model R.
This game is single-player only and has three difficulty level
s, which the player must choose between before beginning play. The player's airplane is always yellow, and the races follow a pattern of three main events and one special event, which alternates between popping 30 balloons and flying to the right of red pylons and to the left of blue ones.
One main obstacle is avoiding collision with other aircraft. After two collisions, the plane will falter and the player's pilot is parachuted out. The player hears the sound of a parachute
opening and sees an animation sequence of the pilot drifting to the ground. This is followed by one of several amusing pictures depicting the pilot in various landing places, such as a pigpen
, a parched desert
, a tree, or a barnyard of chickens, for example.
Following successful completion of the special event, a picture of the pilot at an awards ceremony is shown, accompanied by period music. A photographer may be seen photographing the pilot.
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
as a computer game. The game was made for Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
It is a flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
set in the twenties
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
and early thirties
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
in which the player is the pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
of a small airplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
. The player's goal is to increase the score by flying the airplane through several races and special events. The player's aircraft is modelled on the Granville Brothers
Granville Brothers Aircraft
Granville Brothers Aircraft was an aircraft manufacturer in operation from 1929 until its bankruptcy in 1934. The firm was located at the Springfield Airport in Springfield, Massachusetts...
Gee Bee Super Sportster Model Z, a "flying engine" which was the predecessor of the more famous, and even more extreme, Model R.
This game is single-player only and has three difficulty level
Difficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
s, which the player must choose between before beginning play. The player's airplane is always yellow, and the races follow a pattern of three main events and one special event, which alternates between popping 30 balloons and flying to the right of red pylons and to the left of blue ones.
One main obstacle is avoiding collision with other aircraft. After two collisions, the plane will falter and the player's pilot is parachuted out. The player hears the sound of a parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
opening and sees an animation sequence of the pilot drifting to the ground. This is followed by one of several amusing pictures depicting the pilot in various landing places, such as a pigpen
Sty
A sty or pigsty is a small-scale outdoor enclosure for raising domestic pigs. It is sometimes referred to as a hog pen, hog parlor, pigpen, pig parlor, or pig-cote. Pigsties are generally fenced areas of bare dirt and/or mud. Both "sty" and "pigpen" are used as derogatory descriptions of dirty,...
, a parched desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
, a tree, or a barnyard of chickens, for example.
Following successful completion of the special event, a picture of the pilot at an awards ceremony is shown, accompanied by period music. A photographer may be seen photographing the pilot.