Would you fly a BD5?

SkyHog

SkyHog

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Everything Offends Me
Topic says it all....its a pretty small plane, a jet powered plane, but it looks pretty cool.

What do you guys think, good plane, or a joke?
 
SkyHog said:
Topic says it all....its a pretty small plane, a jet powered plane, but it looks pretty cool.

What do you guys think, good plane, or a joke?
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Would I fly one? Sure, looks like fun. As far as a good plane goes...ehhh. BTW, there are several out there in pusher prop varients.
 
Henning said:
Would I fly one? Sure, looks like fun. As far as a good plane goes...ehhh. BTW, there are several out there in pusher prop varients.
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Nah - I mean the jet version, not the prop version, it looks really neat to me.
 
If it's good enough for James Bond it's good enough for me...
 
I actually know a guy who has flown both the jet and prop powered version.

He summed up the jet powered version as the most exciting thing he had ever done, but also the scariest.

He said the thing reacted way to quickly and was borderline uncontrollable.

I wouldn't touch the thing, still it's kinda cool.
 
No way!

About 6 years ago, we had one crash here at KCVO from fuel starvation. It seems that the stuff used to seal the fuel tanks melted and clogged the fuel lines. It was being flown by a commercial rated pilot on test flights. Fortunately, the pilot was not seriously hurt.

About 3 years ago, the same one crashed while being test flown by the owner, a former military pilot, again from fuel starvation. Seems a fuel line became disconnected in the wing and the engine quit in the pattern when the pilot switched tanks. He landed in a plowed field and was cut out by the fire department and had serious back injuries.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001211X10420&key=1
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20020912X01595&key=1

This plane was also a rear prop turbine and looked really dangerous. I never actually saw it fly however.

Perhaps I shouldn't judge the type by one plane, but ....
 
it would be cool. if i had more experience in planes with similar handling, and it was well built and i felt safe in it. sure.
 
FWIW, the jet version is a BD5J. Richard Bach wrote that he owned one once and felt that takeoffs were the riskiest portion of the flight because the margins were tiny. I think it was that if you lifted off too late you blew the tires, and too early put you periously close to stall, the difference being about 3 seconds.
 
I've met several airshow pilots that fly the jet, Bobby Bishop, Bill Beardsley, Corky Fornof, Jr.(flew the James Bond sequence), among others. They say they're "fun" to fly.

I've also met a few builders that have flown the prop version. They say they're "squirrely as hell".

Draw you own conclusions.

I'll take the 2-seater...

http://www.bd5.com/2seatbd.htm
 
i bet that provided a lot of extra stability, and really killed cruise speed
 
Bob Bishop it think, used to live about a mile from me way back when, and used to practice his routine out at C. E . Page airport west of OKC when I used to work out there. I didn't get much work done when he was flying though:dunno: It was fun to watch him pull up in a VW Rabbit Diesel pulling a glider trailer, then roll out the BD-5. The BD's were a lot of fun to watch, but at 6ft 6 I don't think I will ever be fitting in to one.
 
I would. But i would want a big runway..like 12,000 feetish... and some other fast quick airplane to at least make somewhat of a transition with.

I am used to flying my pattern so tight and slow that in larger heavier airplanes (like a twin) I have a habit of not establishing myself on a very stable final. I can pull it together and make a decent landing towards the end because that's what I'm used to doing. I'm not used to flying finals that are a couple miles long.
 
Bishop and Dave Hoover (no relation) teamed up for a while as the Coors Silver Bullet team.

BD5twintowers1b.jpg


Bishop has gone on to run Freedom Jet, which has contracts with the military to basically simulate cruise missles...

bd5j-3.jpg


http://www.freedomjet.com/

The late Leo Loudenslager (hit by van riding a motorcycle)went solo with a Bud Lite sponsored BD5J.

Bill "Burner" Beardsley took up the Bud Lite sponsorship and flew it for more than a decade. He's no small guy, either.

BEDEBD-5JBurnerBeardsley.jpg


imQ said:
Bob Bishop it think, used to live about a mile from me way back when, and used to practice his routine out at C. E . Page airport west of OKC when I used to work out there. I didn't get much work done when he was flying though:dunno: It was fun to watch him pull up in a VW Rabbit Diesel pulling a glider trailer, then roll out the BD-5. The BD's were a lot of fun to watch, but at 6ft 6 I don't think I will ever be fitting in to one.
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Steve said:
Bishop and Dave Hoover (no relation) teamed up for a while as the Coors Silver Bullet team.

BD5twintowers1b.jpg
Click to expand...

Cool! I remember the Coors Light Silver Bullets performing at OSH '87. If that's what they were... Well, heck yes I'd fly one. :D

The late Leo Loudenslager (hit by van riding a motorcycle)went solo with a Bud Lite sponsored BD5J.
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I was wondering what happened to him. I remember him being one of my favorite acts at OSH '87 too. Too bad. :( What would he have been flying at that point? Where can I find more info about him? I tried googling a while back and didn't turn up much. Not even a Wikipedia entry.
 
You have to be careful with the spelling.

At the time of his death he was working on the "Shark"

http://www.blaineaustin.com/images/videos/leo_inverted.jpg

That plane is now prominently displayed at the EAA Airventure Museum

http://www.airventuremuseum.org/virtual/interactive/innovations/shark/

One can only imagine the manuevers he would have been able to demonstrate in that airframe. :eek:


flyingcheesehead said:
Cool! I remember the Coors Light Silver Bullets performing at OSH '87. If that's what they were... Well, heck yes I'd fly one. :D



I was wondering what happened to him. I remember him being one of my favorite acts at OSH '87 too. Too bad. :( What would he have been flying at that point? Where can I find more info about him? I tried googling a while back and didn't turn up much. Not even a Wikipedia entry.
Click to expand...
 
I wouldn't fly anything Bede had anything to do with. Err, well, ahh, maybe the Grumman. :redface:
 
jesse said:
I would. But i would want a big runway..like 12,000 feetish... and some other fast quick airplane to at least make somewhat of a transition with.

I am used to flying my pattern so tight and slow that in larger heavier airplanes (like a twin) I have a habit of not establishing myself on a very stable final. I can pull it together and make a decent landing towards the end because that's what I'm used to doing. I'm not used to flying finals that are a couple miles long.
Click to expand...

??? Why do you think that the BD-5J would need a large pattern or a lot of runway?
 
Henning said:
??? Why do you think that the BD-5J would need a large pattern or a lot of runway?
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Because I would suck initially. The more room the better chance I would have.
 
I've flown the prop version, a little squirrelly but not bad. Not as touchy in pitch as I expected given how short coupled it looks.

the runway really looks long and wide when your head is only a couple feet above it
 
how about flying the Cri-Cri? How about the dual jet powered version?
 
I would not fly that, no matter how much money you offer me.
 
Cri Cri or BD5?

FWIW I remember thinking the same though about gliders.
 
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