GameBird Returning to Oshkosh With Special Look

Game Composites will be showcasing its “Oz Trails” GB1 GameBird at Booth #461 at AirVenture 2022. [Courtesy: Game Composites]

If you are looking for an American-made aircraft capable of unlimited aerobatics, the GB1 GameBird returns to Oshkosh sporting a one-of-a-kind Northwest Arkansas-inspired "OZ Trails" paint scheme.

OZ Trails is a world-class network of shared-use trails in Bentonville, Arkansas, known as the mountain bike capital of the world.

“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to show off the amazing GB1 GameBird in our booth No. 461,” says Philipp Steinbach, GameBird company founder and CEO. “While the GameBird is a truly beautiful airplane on its own, our 2022 display aircraft features a highly customized ‘OZ Trails’ paint scheme that celebrates the adventure, beauty, and mountainous topography that represent our home in Northwest Arkansas.

“Designed by celebrated aircraft scheme designer Clint Sweet, the graphic design stands apart in its intricacy and bold details while showcasing the skill and capabilities of Game Composites’ talented paint team.”

CEO Philipp Steinbach will perform in a single-seat GB1 GameBird during the afternoon airshows on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday of AirVenture 2022. [Courtesy: Game Composites]

About the Aircraft

The GB 1 is the only FAA-certified two-place aircraft manufactured in the U.S. capable of unlimited aerobatics.

The GB 1 has an all carbon-fiber airframe, fatigue tested to plus and minus 19 G loads.

The tandem-style cockpit features a Garmin G3X Touch with 10.6-inch display standard in rear seat with option for a 7-inch or 10.6-inch display in the front seat.

The aircraft is powered by a 303 hp Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A engine capable of a top speed of 235 knots, with a cruise speed of 200 knots. The aircraft has a 25-gallon aerobatic fuel tank and additional 28-gallon wing tanks—for a total of 81 gallons of usable fuel for when you need to get places.

The airplane has an externally accessed baggage compartment so you can bring what you need. The range of the aircraft is approximately 1,000 nm at cruise speed.

When you want to take it into the sky for playtime, that's completely do-able as the GB 1 has load limits of +/-10G and a roll rate of 400 degrees per second.

You'll be able to check out the aircraft's aerobatic performance on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons when CEO Steinbach flies the GB1 in the airshow. You can also look forward to a full report on the GB1 in the upcoming Q3 2022 issue of FLYING, to be mailed to subscribers starting on August 1.

Meg GodlewskiAuthor

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.