BeechTalk - BT - BD-5 and BD-5J

Username Protected · **Posted:** 30 Dec 2025, 15:10

Username Protected wrote:

The Sonex jet is a much better implementation of this concept: turning money and fuel into fun and noise by way of a small jet engine.

(edit: not to denigrate the design and engineering abilities of Jim Bede; the Sonex simply has a better engine and the benefit of a few decades of lessons learned on the small personal sport jet concept.)

I wonder if you could fit the Sonex's engine in a BD5J? That might revitalize the design. For what is worth, the BD looks a thousand times more refined than the Sonex. Of course, the thin tapered wing probably leads to some nasty tip stall behavior on the BD.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 30 Dec 2025, 16:07

Username Protected wrote:

Sonex was taking deposits for a two seat jet, but that seems to have fizzled out. It seems even that the single engine jet version has some kind of service letter on the engine that's going to be very expensive, and that the engine factory wasn't even taking their calls.

Ouch. I hadn't been keeping up with the latest; I feel a bit bummed out to hear all that bad news.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 30 Dec 2025, 19:06

When I was in college, a buddy and I flew a 172 to Newton KS to see the BDs. We saw the prop version and the jet. If I had money at the time, I would have put a deposit down on one. Lucky for me, I didn't have much money.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 31 Dec 2025, 09:25

Username Protected wrote:

Sonex was taking deposits for a two seat jet, but that seems to have fizzled out. It seems even that the single engine jet version has some kind of service letter on the engine that's going to be very expensive, and that the engine factory wasn't even taking their calls.

PBS Aerospace in the Czech Republic makes the engine. Their primary market is drones and cruise missiles, and they are not at all interested in the manned aircraft market. Too bad because it's a beautiful little engine.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 08 Jan 2026, 09:01

I too lusted once briefly for a BD-5. Then went to aero school and realized that if someone really thought they were going to fly a plane with a trivial amount of hp, they or at least this design was either wrong or a sham. Opinions as to either abound.

Physics does not care who you are or what you think your design "should" be capable of.

Later people found out that the physics allows that if you move a wing fast enough with a light engine, aka a turbine, it will in fact fly. Maybe even delightfully so for twenty minutes and you have the requisite high speed training (i.e. likely former military).

Those that fly are curios and not very interesting to watch as they are so small and IMHO unimpressive. Little darts briefly streaming across the sky. Give me an F-35 demo any day.

I have always felt terrible for those who wasted money or worse wasted lives with this design.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 08 Jan 2026, 09:40

Username Protected wrote:

I too was dreaming of building one of these.

But I ended up with a Tripacer. :lol:

You could always pull the power on the Tripacer to simulate the glide of a BD-5

Username Protected · **Posted:** 23 Jan 2026, 01:56

Username Protected wrote:

I too lusted once briefly for a BD-5. Then went to aero school and realized that if someone really thought they were going to fly a plane with a trivial amount of hp, they or at least this design was either wrong or a sham. Opinions as to either abound.

Physics does not care who you are or what you think your design "should" be capable of.

Later people found out that the physics allows that if you move a wing fast enough with a light engine, aka a turbine, it will in fact fly. Maybe even delightfully so for twenty minutes and you have the requisite high speed training (i.e. likely former military).

Those that fly are curios and not very interesting to watch as they are so small and IMHO unimpressive. Little darts briefly streaming across the sky. Give me an F-35 demo any day.

I have always felt terrible for those who wasted money or worse wasted lives with this design.

Aren't the F-35's a tad more expensive?

Username Protected · **Posted:** 23 Jan 2026, 13:12

Username Protected wrote:

Those that fly are curios and not very interesting to watch as they are so small and IMHO unimpressive. Little darts briefly streaming across the sky. Give me an F-35 demo any day.

Aren't the F-35's a tad more expensive?