Bede BD-5 Microjet
In 1961, Jim Bede formed the Bede Aircraft Corporation in a successful effort to break into the homebuilt aircraft market. Pilots unable or unwilling to buy a prebuilt aircraft could purchase kits for low prices and build the aircraft themselves. Homebuilts also allowed for a lot of innovation and experimentation. Bede had scored a success with his BD-4 homebuilt, but he had a radical idea for his next design, the BD-5.
When the BD-5 rolled out in 1971, it stunned the homebuilt market. It was more of a fighter than a homebuilt, fly-on-the-weekend aircraft: the pilot sat in a semi-reclined seat (a design later adopted by the F-16) to help mitigate G-forces, the canopy was large and offered superb visbility, and the engine was mounted behind the pilot to further streamline the aircraft. In fact, it was so fast that Bede had to add more flaps to the wings to ensure it would land safely. Though the initial BD-5s would be propeller-driven, Bede announced he was working on a jet-powered design as well. He also offered two wing designs, which added or slightly decreased manueverability, allowing a pilot to "work into" the hot BD-5. By the time of its first flight in September 1971, Bede's order book was already filled with 4300 orders.
Unfortunately for Bede, the BD-5 ran into problems. Testing was not smooth, and revealed several issues with the aircraft. These could be solved, but the biggest issue was the Hirth engine, which was specially designed for the BD-5; Hirth struggled to meet orders and then went bankrupt. By that time, Bede was already delivering BD-5s without engines so at least homebuilders could get started. A new engine supplier was found in Japan, but by the time these engines became available, Bede Aircraft itself was in dire straits. Unable to meet orders and spread too thin attempting to design new aircraft, Bede declared bankruptcy in 1979.
This left several thousand owners with BD-5s without engines. Most simply scrapped their kits, but a good number modified them with different engines. It was found that the BD-5 took a lot longer to build than advertised, and when flown, it needed an experienced pilot--if anything, it was too hot, with a tendency to snap roll without warning and a tendency to enter high-speed stalls. Of the first 30 BD-5s that flew, 18 crashed. This made the BD-5 even less popular.
Shortly before the company went bankrupt, Bede did finish and produce a few examples of the jet-powered version, the BD-5J. Though the J lacked the engine issues of the standard BD-5, it was very difficult to handle. 20 were produced, and about a third have crashed. It did offer superb performance, and gave Bede the honor of entering the Guinness Book of World Records with the smallest jet aircraft ever produced. Of roughly about 300 BD-5s produced, half are known to be still around, though only about 30 are considered flyable.
This BD-5 is N500BD, the first prototype. Initially, it was flown with a V-tail, but this proved unstable and Bede redesigned it with a more conventional tail. An all-metal fuselage was also adopted instead of fiberglass, which was not as strong. It was still extremely light, weighing in at only 358 pounds. For its first flight, Bede used a snowmobile engine. After the Bede company went bankrupt, N500BD was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; it was so light that the aircraft was carried onto the museum floor.
Like most people remotely familiar with the Bede designs, my first experience with the BD-5 was the BD-5J used by James Bond in "Octopussy." It was neat to finally see one in person.
Bede BD-5 Microjet
In 1961, Jim Bede formed the Bede Aircraft Corporation in a successful effort to break into the homebuilt aircraft market. Pilots unable or unwilling to buy a prebuilt aircraft could purchase kits for low prices and build the aircraft themselves. Homebuilts also allowed for a lot of innovation and experimentation. Bede had scored a success with his BD-4 homebuilt, but he had a radical idea for his next design, the BD-5.
When the BD-5 rolled out in 1971, it stunned the homebuilt market. It was more of a fighter than a homebuilt, fly-on-the-weekend aircraft: the pilot sat in a semi-reclined seat (a design later adopted by the F-16) to help mitigate G-forces, the canopy was large and offered superb visbility, and the engine was mounted behind the pilot to further streamline the aircraft. In fact, it was so fast that Bede had to add more flaps to the wings to ensure it would land safely. Though the initial BD-5s would be propeller-driven, Bede announced he was working on a jet-powered design as well. He also offered two wing designs, which added or slightly decreased manueverability, allowing a pilot to "work into" the hot BD-5. By the time of its first flight in September 1971, Bede's order book was already filled with 4300 orders.
Unfortunately for Bede, the BD-5 ran into problems. Testing was not smooth, and revealed several issues with the aircraft. These could be solved, but the biggest issue was the Hirth engine, which was specially designed for the BD-5; Hirth struggled to meet orders and then went bankrupt. By that time, Bede was already delivering BD-5s without engines so at least homebuilders could get started. A new engine supplier was found in Japan, but by the time these engines became available, Bede Aircraft itself was in dire straits. Unable to meet orders and spread too thin attempting to design new aircraft, Bede declared bankruptcy in 1979.
This left several thousand owners with BD-5s without engines. Most simply scrapped their kits, but a good number modified them with different engines. It was found that the BD-5 took a lot longer to build than advertised, and when flown, it needed an experienced pilot--if anything, it was too hot, with a tendency to snap roll without warning and a tendency to enter high-speed stalls. Of the first 30 BD-5s that flew, 18 crashed. This made the BD-5 even less popular.
Shortly before the company went bankrupt, Bede did finish and produce a few examples of the jet-powered version, the BD-5J. Though the J lacked the engine issues of the standard BD-5, it was very difficult to handle. 20 were produced, and about a third have crashed. It did offer superb performance, and gave Bede the honor of entering the Guinness Book of World Records with the smallest jet aircraft ever produced. Of roughly about 300 BD-5s produced, half are known to be still around, though only about 30 are considered flyable.
This BD-5 is N500BD, the first prototype. Initially, it was flown with a V-tail, but this proved unstable and Bede redesigned it with a more conventional tail. An all-metal fuselage was also adopted instead of fiberglass, which was not as strong. It was still extremely light, weighing in at only 358 pounds. For its first flight, Bede used a snowmobile engine. After the Bede company went bankrupt, N500BD was donated to the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; it was so light that the aircraft was carried onto the museum floor.
Like most people remotely familiar with the Bede designs, my first experience with the BD-5 was the BD-5J used by James Bond in "Octopussy." It was neat to finally see one in person.