THE WORLD IS MASTURBATING HIMSELF WITH ELECTRICAL FLIGHTS PROPULSION, BUT THERE ARE NO ELECTRICITY STORAGE SUITABLE FOR THESE CONCEPTS : END OF DISCUSSIONS !
Few piece composite structure could really have helped viability. And should have gone certified. Kit makers never live. Had they developed a tiny turbofan engine for it it could have changed the world.
I saw Jim Bede fly his BD5J at lake front airport in Cleveland during an airshow. It hissed in flight as opposed to roaring like a typical jet. He was taking orders. What ever happened to the jet version? How many were made? I always thought the jet was the way to go on that airframe.
good stuff ! I appreciate the comparison to the competition. I understand that it's theoretical but still, well done. I'm one of the many waiting to build one.
I found it to be somewhat disgusting that the music was so loud I could barely hear the voice. This is some historic, great stuff you got here, but you sure made it difficult to enjoy and hear.
They have a functional one at the Evergreen Museum in Oregon, its so small, I didn't believe it was a real plane but a prop or something (so ignorant), my 7yr old daughter fits in there real nice! The plane mounted on front of the truck for training is amazing!
I ran Hirth engines on Arctic Cat sleds in the 70's. In fact, my Panther had the 171R (634cc) listed in your video. When it ran good, it ripped! But it was a finicky engine especially on warm days above 40 degrees. It would foul plugs something awful and the trick was to not let it idle for too long or it would "load up". A lot of the problems were due to the Tillotson HD carb which gave an excessively rich mixture at lower power settings. I think the Hirths on BD's had Mikunis so perhaps that wasn't much of an issue. Overall, the engine was well built. The only hard failure I had was from a leaky PTO side crank seal. The leaky seal caused a super lean mixture and I "welded" the piston into the cylinder. LOL
I would not fly that thing, thanks anyway. Pretty great performance though! Also, I enjoyed the video, but the narration was kinda hard to make out thru the music in a few spots. I could hear it all well enough to understand, but I sent the video to my hard of hearing 82yo father, and I know he's gonna have a real hard time understanding some of it. Sounds better in mono than in stereo.
When it was announced, the BD-5 was "the stuff dreams are made of"... for a lot of people it went on to show how little difference there is between a dream and a nightmare. We still yearn after those dreams though, don't we!? :o)
I remember coveting the BD-5, back in the late 1970s. I often wonder if the fate of the piston powered BD-5 would have been different if the Rotax Type 582 had been available back then. Alas, we'll never know. Sonex Aircraft now offers the SubSonex, the closest thing to a BD-5J that is available in kit form. IMHO it isn't as "sexy" as the BD-5J; but I understand it is a blast to fly.
It was reported by one of the original designers that Jim Bede stole their design, which he then called the BD-5. The designer said it was an exact copy, other than for things Bede couldn't see or couldn't remember from his visit to their premises where he saw the detailed plans and a fuselage mocknup in their office. Burt Rutan has some real horror stories of his time working for Bede. It was quite apparent that this wasn't going to end well. It reminds me of the Mini 500 Helicopter Kit and its problems (including many fatalities).
I was 25 YO when the first ads and magazine articles came out. By that time I had already built two very fast speed boats. I had big dreams of building one but it just never happened.
Too short..COG ridiculous..fat fuselage. Small wing. . Silly ..strech it.. line the thrust line..make it a puller with propeller..set that jet in line.. 😎
someone is now selling a "nearly complete" version of the BD5J kit under his own label, of course. Over $130k. not exactly affordable, but flying IS an expensive habit.
At 2:00 you can tell that Jim Bede was a dishonest snake oil salesman. 210mph to 300mph for 3 grand? The aviation community SHOULD have had him arreasted! I have an AA1 and AA5A but these claimes are CRIMINAL.
Jim Bede is now in a place that is cramped, upside down, and supporting his weight with his neck muscles. Justice for all the Yankee owners who have to do that every time just to fill the brakes!
As cute as the BD-5 was, it turned out to be a useless money pit for most of the people who bought it. It was hugely underpriced, there was no way Bede could deliver the thousands of airframes at the price at which they were sold. As a result, a lot of people lost money and were left with partially built wings or fuselages, and no flyable airplane. Watch Burt Rutan's interview in the *_Timeless Voices of Aviation_* youtube channel, The video is called "Bede Corp".
BEDE-5 JET ENGINED airplane has been Bede's legend and legacy, but the Cri Cri airplane with twin R.C. model jet engines is now the smallest jet engined aircraft today. It's smaller than the Bede-5 and seats one person.
