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From: Miloch <Miloch_member@newsguy.com>
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Subject: Bede BD-5
Date: 2 Mar 2018 06:54:18 -0800
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede_BD-5
The Bede BD-5 Micro is a series of small, single-seat homebuilt aircraft created
in the late 1960s by US aircraft designer Jim Bede and introduced to the market
primarily in kit form by the now-defunct Bede Aircraft Corporation in the early
1970s.
The BD-5 has a small, streamlined fuselage holding its semi-reclined pilot under
a large canopy, with the engine installed in a compartment in the middle of the
fuselage, and a propeller-driving engine - or jet engine in the BD-5J variant -
mounted immediately to the rear of the cockpit. The combination of fighter-like
looks and relatively low cost led to the BD-5 selling over 5,000 kits or plans,
with approximately 12,000 orders being taken for a proposed factory-built,
FAA-certified version. However, few of the kit versions were actually completed
due to the company's bankruptcy in the mid-1970s, and none of the factory built
"D" models were produced, as a result of the failure to find a reliable engine
for the design.
In total, only a few hundred BD-5 kits were completed, although many of these
are still airworthy today. The BD-5J version holds the record for the world's
lightest single-engine jet aircraft, weighing only 358.8 lb (162.7 kg).
After more than 5,100 kits had been delivered to prospective builders, the kits
stopped shipping as well. Although the company was effectively bankrupt at this
point, work on the BD-5D continued for some time. The bankruptcy became official
in 1979, by which point the BD-5 project was long dead. During the bankruptcy
proceedings, it was learned that the money ostensibly being used to build kits
was instead being spent on a variety of other projects. As a result, Bede
entered a consent decree with the FTC to no longer accept deposits on aircraft
for a period of 10 years.
Many owners stored, abandoned, or sold their incomplete kits, but a few hundred
diehard builders finished them with a variety of engines, with installations
designed by third parties and former Bede Aircraft dealers. Having to hunt for
an engine was only one problem. The time to build the aircraft was much longer
than quoted, as much as 3,500 hours. Some of this was due to the need to fit
their selected engine into an airframe designed for the Hirth, which was no
longer available. Additionally, the construction techniques had improved
somewhat since early Bede designs, but fastening the panels still required
drilling, deburring, dimpling, drilling again and deburring again for each
rivet. With the original mixed-construction design this would not have been as
much of a task, but with the all-metal version this was extremely time
consuming. While Bede claimed the aircraft could be put together by anyone in a
garage, builders generally agree that doing so without proper construction
techniques could result in a potentially dangerous aircraft. One way to overcome
that issue is to use a set of properly laid-out jigs to align and drill the
pilot holes for the airframe, wings and other components. For all of these
reasons, it was some time before completed BD-5s started to appear.
Role
Homebuilt
Manufacturer
Bede Aviation
Designer
Jim Bede
First flight
September 12, 1971
Introduction
1970s
Status
~150 airworthy, ~30 flying
While the new Hirth engine was being tested, Bede decided to create a variant of
the BD-5 with a small jet engine. The result was the sleek BD-5J (also known as
the "Acrostar Jet "), a 300 mph (260 kn; 480 km/h) aircraft. The design used the
Sermel TRS-18-046 turbojet which produced 225 lbf (1.00 kN) thrust and was used
on a Caproni certified motorglider design. The original engines were produced
under license by Ames Industrial in the USA. The wing was modified to an
"intermediate" size between the original A and B wings, with a 17 ft (5.2 m)
span.
Bob Bishop purchased 20 BD-5J kits as soon as they had appeared, and many of the
flying examples started life in this batch of 20. Versions from the original
batch became a popular airshow fixture. Throughout the 1980s and until 1991,
Coors flew two of them as the "Silver Bullets". Budweiser also had a BD-5J
called the Bud Light Jet, but that contract has long expired and the aircraft
was lost as a result of an engine compartment fire from which Bishop
successfully bailed out. The aircraft also appeared in the opening sequence of
the James Bond film Octopussy.
Specifications
Bede BD-5B, 70 hp
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 13 ft 7 in (4.13 m)
Wingspan: 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)
Height: 4 ft 2 in (1.28 m)
Wing area: 47.4 sq ft (4.40 m2)
Aspect ratio: 9.8
Empty weight: 355 lb (161 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 659 lb (299 kg)
Propellers: 2-bladed, 3 ft 8 in (1.12 m) diameter fixed pitch, wooden
Performance
Maximum speed: 232 mph; 201 kn (373 km/h) at sea level
Cruise speed: 229 mph; 199 kn (369 km/h) at 2,285 m (7,497 ft)
Stall speed: 55 mph; 48 kn (89 km/h) flaps down
Range: 935 mi; 812 nmi (1,504 km) optimum, with 30 min reserve
Rate of climb: 1,919 ft/min (9.75 m/s) at sea level
Take-off distance to 50 ft (15 m): 226 m (741 ft)
Landing distance from 50 ft (15 m): 253 m (830 ft)
FLS Microjet
Data from FLS Microjet
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 13 ft (4.0 m)
Wingspan: 17 ft (5.2 m)
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Empty weight: 416 lb (189 kg)
Gross weight: 860 lb (390 kg)
Fuel capacity: 30 U.S. gallons (110 L; 25 imp gal)
Performance
Maximum speed: 278 kn; 515 km/h (320 mph)
Stall speed: 58 kn; 108 km/h (67 mph)
Range: 200 nmi (230 mi; 370 km)
g limits: +6
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