Did anyone else buy a BD-5D? "Guaranteed $4,400!!!"

kgruber

kgruber

Final Approach
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The "D" was to be fully assembled. I bought three of them, with a $400 deposit for each. I always thought that Jim Bede used all those deposits to build the jet and probably some snort.
 
The fellow who owns the hangar where I rent space for my Husky now has three BD5 projects on the go. The most advanced is a former flying airplane with the customary Honda engine. It'll probably be back in flyable condition this summer. The second is a well advanced project but the first builder decided to use a Hirth 2-cycle engine. And the third looks like too much work to ever be anything more than a parts contributor.

All of them seem rather scary to me when I look them over...
 
they're tiny! they look awesome in James Bond and in the photos. I saw one up close once, it was in rough shape, and it reminded me of the little wagon "airplanes" I used to build with my friends in the backyard. IE, small and delicate. You'd have to have a Chuck Yeager spirit to fly one I thought
 
I love the concept, especially the jet version. I don't think I'd ever have the cajones to ever get in one though.
 
I briefly considered buying a BD-5 project a few years back. Fortunately, that moment of insanity passed.

The original BD-5J flown by Corky Fornoff in the Bond movie is sitting in a hangar at N72 in upstate NY, where I visit occasionally. Hasn't flown in years.
 
Things had quite the coffin corner. Killed a bunch of pilots. Neat looking things though.
 
My uncle bought a BD5 kit. My parents stored it for more than 20 years. When he got his A&P license, my Dad thought he would finally start on it. Nope - said it was too hard. Moved to his small farm in West Linn, Oregon. When he died a few years ago, yep - he still had the kit. My poor Aunt tried to get the local EAA chapter that he was a member of to take it. Nope they said - too hard. Finally got someone to haul it way. His was one of the early kits. Essentially, a set of plans and drawings, some instructions and a whole lot of aluminum.
 
steingar said:
Things had quite the coffin corner.
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It wasn't fast enough It didn't have the excess power necessary to get even close to the accepted definition of 'coffin corner', where Vs approaches Mcrit. How are you defining coffin corner?

Nauga,
shocked
 
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midwestpa24 said:
I don't think I'd ever have the cajones to ever get in one though.
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I've tried to get in one before. I think I've got too much of *everything*, with the possible exception of cojones, to be able to strap in and fly it.

Nauga,
the load factor
 
nauga said:
It wasn't fast enough It didn't have the excess power necessary to get even close to the accepted definition of 'coffin corner', where Vs approaches Mcrit. How are you defining coffin corner?

Nauga,
shocked
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My guess is he’s thinking the stall speed and maneuvering speed are close together.
 
Salty said:
My guess is he’s thinking the stall speed and maneuvering speed are close together.
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I'm not guessing, that's why I asked, but your guess would be difficult to achieve unless you're considering stall and maneuver speed at different weights or it had a ridiculously low g-limit.

Nauga,
who only needs two numbers for that quadrant of a V-n diagram
 
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nauga said:
It wasn't fast enough It didn't have the excess power necessary to get even close to the accepted definition of 'coffin corner', where Vs approaches Mcrit. How are you defining coffin corner?

Nauga,
shocked
Click to expand...

My instructor used that expression to describe the crosswind to downwind turn in the pattern, where he thought collisions were most likely from pilots entering on the 45.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
My instructor used that expression to describe the crosswind to downwind turn in the pattern, where he thought collisions were most likely from pilots entering on the 45.
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That's a new one on me, and it makes me a little sad. Making <stuff> up does everyone a disservice.

Nauga,
on the fly
 
nauga said:
It wasn't fast enough It didn't have the excess power necessary to get even close to the accepted definition of 'coffin corner', where Vs approaches Mcrit. How are you defining coffin corner?

Nauga,
shocked
Click to expand...
Unfortunately this definition confuses the issue for most of us, as Vs is taught as a constant AOA, but low speed Mach buffet, which isn’t a constant AOA, becomes the low speed limit at higher altitudes for the corporate jets I’m familiar with.
 
MauleSkinner said:
Unfortunately this definition confuses the issue for most of us, as Vs is taught as a constant AOA, but low speed Mach buffet, which isn’t a constant AOA, becomes the low speed limit at higher altitudes for the corporate jets I’m familiar with.
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"Most of us" will never have to worry about the accepted definition of 'coffin corner,' but that's not a valid excuse to misuse the term. In less than 20 posts in this thread there have already been 3 different incorrect applications of the term. If you don't follow the accepted definition, then there is no consistency.

Nauga,
who is thinking about calling his airworthiness certificate holder 'the flight envelope'
 
nauga said:
Nauga,
who is thinking about calling his airworthiness certificate holder 'the flight envelope'
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Next person to ask how my envelope expansion is going I'm going to tell them I was able to fit everything into an 8.5"x11" manila but I'm having some trouble with a standard business.

Nauga,
flying the adhesive edge
 
nauga said:
"Most of us" will never have to worry about the accepted definition of 'coffin corner,' but that's not a valid excuse to misuse the term. In less than 20 posts in this thread there have already been 3 different incorrect applications of the term. If you don't follow the accepted definition, then there is no consistency.

Nauga,
who is thinking about calling his airworthiness certificate holder 'the flight envelope'
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True...But in my part of the industry at least, it’s a tougher battle than the misuse of “balanced field”.
 
nauga said:
"Most of us" will never have to worry about the accepted definition of 'coffin corner,' but that's not a valid excuse to misuse the term. In less than 20 posts in this thread there have already been 3 different incorrect applications of the term. If you don't follow the accepted definition, then there is no consistency.

Nauga,
who is thinking about calling his airworthiness certificate holder 'the flight envelope'
Click to expand...

Reminds me of this from Alice in Wonderland:

"I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!'"
"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," Alice objected.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all."

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again:

"They've a temper, some of them—particularly verbs, they're the proudest—adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs—however, I can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That's what I say.”

Makes it hard to communicate...
 
jsstevens said:
Reminds me of this from Alice in Wonderland:

"I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!'"
"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," Alice objected.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all."

Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute Humpty Dumpty began again:

"They've a temper, some of them—particularly verbs, they're the proudest—adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs—however, I can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That's what I say.”

Makes it hard to communicate...
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“Inconceivable!”
 
Dana said:
I briefly considered buying a BD-5 project a few years back. Fortunately, that moment of insanity passed.

The original BD-5J flown by Corky Fornoff in the Bond movie is sitting in a hangar at N72 in upstate NY, where I visit occasionally. Hasn't flown in years.
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How would one go about seeing it?
 
jsstevens said:
Reminds me of this from Alice in Wonderland:

Makes it hard to communicate...
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it reminds me of...oh, never mind, verboten.

Sometimes I think the obstruction of communications is intentional.
 
The BD-5's chief problems (other than actually getting the kit delivered) were high stall speed combined with the pilot's butt being inches off the ground so it seemed really fast, and pitch sensitivity leading to PIO.
 
Dana said:
The BD-5's chief problems (other than actually getting the kit delivered) were high stall speed combined with the pilot's butt being inches off the ground so it seemed really fast, and pitch sensitivity leading to PIO.
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"Our chief problem is high stall speed and the pilot's butt being inches off the ground...our *two* chief problems are high stall speed and the pilot's butt being inches off the ground and pitch sensitivity...our THREE chief problems are are high stall speed, the pilot's butt being inches off the ground, and pitch sensitivity and an almost fanatical devotion to the designer...our FOUR...no...AMONGST our problems are..."

:D

Nauga,
and the question someone asked Mary Todd Lincoln
 
nauga said:
"Our chief problem is high stall speed and the pilot's butt being inches off the ground...our *two* chief problems are high stall speed and the pilot's butt being inches off the ground and pitch sensitivity...our THREE chief problems are are high stall speed, the pilot's butt being inches off the ground, and pitch sensitivity and an almost fanatical devotion to the designer...our FOUR...no...AMONGST our problems are..."

:D

Nauga,
and the question someone asked Mary Todd Lincoln
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I think it’s “in and amongst...” :D
 
I remember a friend of my dad's had the fuselage of one hanging above his Bonanza must have been back in the 70's. I don't remember any wings and Dick never finished it as long as I knew him. This was in Ennis, TX.
 
There's a BD-5 in the Hiller museum in San Carlos. I was told this was the one in Octopussy, but I guess not. There's no way I can even think about fitting into it. My airframe instructor had one at his place. He said he bought it to keep someone from killing themselves I it.
 
nauga said:
It wasn't fast enough It didn't have the excess power necessary to get even close to the accepted definition of 'coffin corner', where Vs approaches Mcrit. How are you defining coffin corner?

Nauga,
shocked
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I was referring to the pilot induced oscillations summarized by @Dana. Didn't realize I was so badly misusing an utterly colloquial term. Sorry it got your panties in a wad.
 
denverpilot said:
I remember seeing this show...

It’s such a terrible beer.
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That was deliberate. To make Coors Banquet seem bespoke.
Wasn't that stuff made somewhere up near your altitude?
 
GRG55 said:
That was deliberate. To make Coors Banquet seem bespoke.
Wasn't that stuff made somewhere up near your altitude?
Click to expand...

Yup. Golden, CO. Of course now they’re part of Molsen. Regular Coors sucks too. LOL.
 
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