4 seats, 200 mph, AC, and parachute, fully built for $247K?

I saw their display model at Oshkosh. It was impressive, in a bad way. The gaps and joints looked like a kid built the plane with hands.
 
Pinecone said:
FAA has changed what major portion means.

In the past, it meant that the builder did 51% or more of ALL the labor.

Now, it means 51% of the tasks. So if you build one rib, you have done the task of building ribs. The company can make the rest of them.

This how several companies are doing very quick builds with only a couple of weeks of the "builder's" time,
Click to expand...
I won't drop dime on anyone to the Feds but a rather large kitplane / LSA operation in Ohio once told me that my "51% portion" of a Titan Tornado build I was talking to him about would be handing him tools and manning the grill, so...
 
Racerx said:
Uncle built one. One of the ugliest planes around. Don't know much about the current company but Jim bede was a notorious dirtbag. Enough for me to be turned off with anything using his name.

Edit: apologies if anyone takes offense to the above. I'm 4 very strong old fashioned's deep.
Click to expand...
Ford built the Pinto and people still buy them.

The BD-5 has nothing in common with the BD-4.

If you are going to hold mistakes against a company they you will never by another thing ever.

ALso the Whittman W-8(10?) looks just like a BD-4... no one seems to mind that.
 
pfarber said:
Ford built the Pinto and people still buy them.

The BD-5 has nothing in common with the BD-4.

If you are going to hold mistakes against a company they you will never by another thing ever.

ALso the Whittman W-8(10?) looks just like a BD-4... no one seems to mind that.
Click to expand...
Are we talking about the looks department or are we talking Jim Bede business man?

A year later and sober, I stand by my prior fugly assessment and lack of interest in anything associated with the original name/owner. The current regime still gives me pause even if it didn't have the Bede name.

The address listed for gratia and surewings is a flex building that I can't fathom how theyd be making kits out of. They have zero social media presence. The only thing one can find is from a third parties own channel. No photos of anything anywhere. One photoon the surewings site that you're then linked to the Bede aviation site. The few photos there looked like they were taken with a potato.

I don't see anything tangible anywhere. Sort of like Jim Bede.
 
I don't think Bede set out to screw anybody; he was just unrealistically optimistic both about his engineering and his business plan, and about the potential buyer's flying abilities. And a bit too cavalier about the people left holding the bag.

The BD-5 was a great plane for those with the ability to handle it, but it was not a plane for the average pilot as it was marketed. I wonder what the accident rate would have been if Bede's truck mounted trainer had been available later as builders were managing to finish their planes?

 
The BD5 was a success largely because Burt Rutan fixed it. Then the started shipping kits with the promise of a motor... eventually. In the mean time he took millions and spent it on other projects. Rutan left and those other projects had very minimal success. A few test pilots died.

Over promise. Under engineer. Wash. Rinse. Repeat
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top