Bd-5j

[rfresh]

Yes, you are right. I do recall those two models. However, I do not recall if they were kits or trying to get FAA certification. They had side-by-side seating vs tandem which is what I would have preferred. With tandem seating, for balance purposes, the solo pilot would have to ride in the front seat.

Ralph
www.wxnotice.com

 

[EagleRJ]

I haven't seen anything on the 4-seat Bede models in years. They probably never left the drawing board.

There was another kitplane that was a little like the BD-5 that was made by Rans. The S-11 Pursuit was a single-seater with a delta wing, chined fuselage, and twin vertical tails. It was powered by a Rotax up front. It looked a little like a miniature F-15!
It's no longer listed on the Rans website, and I've never seen one at Oshkosh or anywhere else. Maybe there wasn't enough interest to start making kits.

 

[crash-proof]

I haven't seen anything on the 4-seat Bede models in years. They probably never left the drawing board.

There was another kitplane that was a little like the BD-5 that was made by Rans. The S-11 Pursuit was a single-seater with a delta wing, chined fuselage, and twin vertical tails. It was powered by a Rotax up front. It looked a little like a miniature F-15!
It's no longer listed on the Rans website, and I've never seen one at Oshkosh or anywhere else. Maybe there wasn't enough interest to start making kits.

I remember the Pursuit! It was around 1994, and there was a lot of buzz around this design. It was beyond doubt cutting edge, even for today's standards. Problem is, with slick tightly-cowled designs, 2-strokes don't mix. The pilot-owner crash-landed the plane and got badly burned after overheating the engine. That must have scared away potential buyers. I always thought it deserved a better engine than that measly 2-stroker it had.

Found a pic...thanks google!
http://hometown.aol.com/rcflyerkc/pursuit.JPG

 

[Airpiraterob]

I haven't seen anything on the 4-seat Bede models in years. They probably never left the drawing board.

There was another kitplane that was a little like the BD-5 that was made by Rans. The S-11 Pursuit was a single-seater with a delta wing, chined fuselage, and twin vertical tails. It was powered by a Rotax up front. It looked a little like a miniature F-15!
It's no longer listed on the Rans website, and I've never seen one at Oshkosh or anywhere else. Maybe there wasn't enough interest to start making kits.

it had a chined fuselage....kind of. the rotax 912 in it had air cooled cylinder barrels and watercooled heads. either way those cylinder banks had fairings around them and those went straight back into the leading edge of the wings. somewhat short stubby wings. it was not a delta. however that fairing also wqent all the way abck to the tail and flattened out and became aprt of the elevator. the Rans guy...Randy schlutter...(or however it was spelled) crashed something fierce in it and screwed up a leg and some ribs i believe..anyway he had a bad crash and alsmot died. i think the design was difficult to develop due to the intircate fuselage shapes working mojo on the airflow during various angles of attack. and they decided to kill the project.

personally i think the S9 chaos with a modded 680 rotax would be alot of fun.

 

[EagleRJ]

Yeah- I guess looking at the picture it's not a true delta wing. I was going from memory.

If I remember right, the Pursuit's fuselage was a modernized tube-and-fabric design. It had a molded skin that was attached over a tube frame- the skin was non-structural. It was probably really heavy as a result, but they had to do it that way due to the shape. I'm sure Rutan or another modern designer could do the same thing with a composite monocoque shell. It would be a fun plane with a Subaru or rotary conversion up front! Maybe install a BRS chute too, with the classic black and yellow loops over the pilot's head....

 

[SabreTriker]

I bought a nearly complete BD-5 many years ago from a guy down in the Bahamas. Ready to fly except for the engine. He delivered it to West Palm Beach on the front of his boat. The Coast Guard followed him into port and searched it. Figured there HAD to be drugs involved. Anyway it languished in the hanger next to my Bonanza in Merritt Island for about 5 years while I looked for a good engine setup. Took it out every now and them, plugged in the wings, sat in it and went, vrooom, vrooom. Took it to Sun-n-Fun one year in the back of my truck and sold it for $2,400 bucks! Doubled my money. Wonder what became of it. Later regretted selling it. Would have made one HELL of a wetsub...

 

[camech]

Anybody ever build and/or fly a BD-5J? How well does that thing fly? How much an hour does it cost to operate? Just curious. Thanks.

EB

Bad Reputation. There's a whole lot more safer aircraft out there. I think the BD5 comes under the category of "Death Metal"