Very bad news for Bede

[bexrbetter]

I guess many of you know the Bede range, the BD4 and BD5 jet being the standouts.

 

The new Bede BD22 being developed has crash killing it's pilot sadly, not a lot of info yet ...

 

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=42163ebb-f7bf-4cdd-818b-5430f9e8982c

 

Of course the fatality is terrible but also will also have an impact on on the Bede company as well.

 

http://www.aero-news.net/bannertransfer.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=e49f70e1-1443-4b95-84a1-0eeefeb26ef8

 

http://www.bedecorp.com/bd-22l.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bede_BD-22L

 

 

[winsor68]

He certainly has a reputation...something to do with selling kits for aircraft that were unproven I believe. It seems pretty standard across the US industry... Was it all a beat up or is Bede a crook?

 

 

[farri]

Thanks Bex, I wasn`t aware of Bede aircraft and of course the crash is a tragedy.

 

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara told television station WPTV that witnesses said the plane was "in distress over the Indian River and attempted to make its way back to the airport, however ... it fell from the sky nose first."

 

" In distress " is not much to go on and I`m only speculating, but if the witnesses report is correct, "it fell from the sky nose first", I`d say the aircraft stalled or there was a malfunction with the elevator.

 

If the aircraft was flying normally up to the point that it "fell from the sky", I`d reckon it wasn`t the elevator.

 

Frank.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

It has a massive all flying tailplane by the look of it

 

 

[fly_tornado]

was Bede a bexermoter customer?

 

 

[bexrbetter]

He certainly has a reputation...something to do with selling kits for aircraft that were unproven I believe. It seems pretty standard across the US industry... Was it all a beat up or is Bede a crook?

I don't pretend I even come close to knowing the ins and outs. The Bede BD4 was one of the first better kits around, has a great reputation for safety and speed.

 

Only from what I read, maybe Bede got a bit ambitious on some projects while the same tenacity gave success to others. The BD22 has been in development for quite some time now, as early as 2007, and was due to be officially released in 2 weeks time at Fun'n'Sun I think.

 

http://aero-news.net/GetMoreFromANN.cfm?do=video.playVideo&videoid=e61d0f2f-e5d3-4f50-8feb-75aac7b3d128

 

No FT.

 

 

[winsor68]

The first "flown" homebuilt aircraft I ever saw was a BEDE-4. This was a long time ago when I was a kid. I clearly recall the verdict from the adults wasn't complimentary...and there was much discussion about Jim Bede's business practices...and the fact that the tailwheel on this one had collapsed...and appeared to have been just riveted onto the rear fuselage as an after thought...

 

To go with that I have read some rather exciting flight reports from BEDE owners...

 

My take... is that there is a fine line that seperates positive and negative public opinion... and how bloody lucky was Burt Rutan to have avoided this. I think experimental aircraft back then used to truly be "EXPERIMENTAL"...and so was the industry.

 

 

[dunlopdangler]

Well from personal experience, I learnt to fly in the Grumman Lynx which was a development of the BD1, flew the cheetahs and tigers and got my initial twin rating in the cougar ( a twin engine development of the design) I also had the pleasure of flying the BD4 so it would come as no surprise to anyone that I have followed Jim Bede's career over the years with more than a passing interest and like Rutan, he has his admirers and critics. A case in point would be my experience of some peoples' opinions of the Lancair when I was flying one.... until I took them up.. One guy for instance wouldn't get in it but his wife did and when we came back she had a grin from ear to ear and as she climbed out she commented that it was better than sex LOL.. That sort of changed his mind a little so he nervously got in and I took him up.. He came back with a totally different perspective because he was more informed.. and that's my point, there are a couple of misinformed comments above. Guys like Neubuer, Bede and Rutan do push the envelope and design aircraft using different materials and concepts and this has resulted in a division in opinion.

 

The tragic accident that spawned this thread no doubt will be the subject of a lot of conjecture until the FAA releases its findings but to me it does have all the hallmarks of trying to keep a low inertia aircraft flying with insufficient/no power back to the airfield as witnesses commented on the distressed nature it exhibited.