Bede BD-5B
The BD-5 is a small, single-seat, homebuilt “kit” aircraft by the now-defunct Bede Aircraft Corporation in the early 1970s. It has a small, streamlined fuselage holding its semi-reclined pilot under a large canopy, with the mid-engine and propeller mounted immediately to the rear of the cockpit. The BD-5 sold over 5,000 kits or plans.
Only a few hundred BD-5 kits were completed and many of these are still being flown today. There was even a version with a jet engine, like the BD-5J from the James Bond movie Octopuss, now on display in the Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona. I remember seeing these in magazines as a kid, so it was a treat to view this one sitting under the wing of the Boeing 307 Stratoliner. Both aircraft can be found at the Boeing Aviation Hanger at the Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the National Air and Space Museum.
