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21-603: Based on his previous work with innovative light aircraft, the BD-1 (eventually developed into the American Aviation AA-1 Yankee ) and BD-2 , Jim Bede designed the BD-4 to be one of the first real "kitplanes" in the world. (AOPA has credited the design of the BD-4 to aeronautical inventor Dave Blanton.) The design was based on a high-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional design, able to be fitted either with

42-506: A longer wing to improve rate of climb, an anti-servo tab on the elevator along with an elevator centering spring system to increase longitudinal stability and stall strips to improve the stall performance. The resulting aircraft entered production in the fall of 1968 as the 1969 model American Aviation AA-1 Yankee Clipper . While the BD-1 never did enter production itself, it has had a lasting impact on light aircraft production and spawned

63-457: A separate tank to hold fuel, builders simply drilled holes in the ribs to interconnect the sections to form a tank. In service, it was found that leaks inevitably developed due to problems like improper seals and natural flexing of the wing. BedeCorp later redesigned the wing to use a more conventional system with separate fuel tanks in the BD-4C. Although the original wing design was easy to build,

84-468: A slab elevator or stabilator . The elevator is a usable up and down system that controls the plane, horizontal stabilizer usually creates a downward force which balances the nose down moment created by the wing lift force, which typically applies at a point (the wing center of lift) situated aft of the airplane's center of gravity . The effects of drag and changing the engine thrust may also result in pitch moments that need to be compensated with

105-436: A tailwheel or a tricycle undercarriage. When building the plane, it was also possible to choose between a two-seat or four-seat version. The intention was to allow people with little or no fabrication experience to start with a set of comprehensive plans and work up to a bolt-together operation in which complex components were provided from the factory. In order to simplify construction, there were few curved surfaces and most of

126-553: A two-surface aircraft this type of configuration is called a canard (the French word for duck ) or a tandem wing . The Wright Brothers ' early aircraft were of the canard type; Mignet Pou-du-Ciel and Rutan Quickie are of tandem type. Some early three surface aircraft had front elevators ( Curtiss/AEA June Bug ); modern three surface aircraft may have both front (canard) and rear elevators ( Grumman X-29 ). Several technology research and development efforts exist to integrate

147-661: A whole series of offspring designs including the Grumman American AA-1 , AA-5 , and Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar . The ultimate derivative design, the Tiger Aircraft AG-5B Tiger , was produced until 2006 by Tiger Aircraft . Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-66 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Elevator (aircraft) Elevators are flight control surfaces , usually at

168-480: A wing surface can change shape in flight to deflect air flow. The X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing is a NASA effort. The Adaptive Compliant Wing is a military and commercial effort. In fluidics , forces in vehicles occur via circulation control, in which larger more complex mechanical parts are replaced by smaller simpler fluidic systems (slots which emit air flows) where larger forces in fluids are diverted by smaller jets or flows of fluid intermittently, to change

189-432: The BD-1 kits, Bede Aviation Corporation, eventually became American Aviation and they pursued FAA certification under FAR 23 for the design so that completed aircraft could be sold. Due to financial problems Bede was forced out of the company and the BD-1 was redesigned. During the redesign process the aircraft was modified so that the wings did not fold, making it easier to achieve certification. Other changes included

210-580: The functions of aircraft flight control systems such as ailerons , elevators, elevons , flaps and flaperons into wings to perform the aerodynamic purpose with the advantages of less: mass, cost, drag, inertia (for faster, stronger control response), complexity (mechanically simpler, fewer moving parts or surfaces, less maintenance), and radar cross section for stealth . These may be used in many unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 6th generation fighter aircraft . Two promising approaches are flexible wings, and fluidics. In flexible wings, much or all of

231-421: The fuselage was made up of flat aluminum sheeting. The only major components with compound curves were the engine cowling and landing gear spats, which were made of fiberglass. The fuselage was constructed of aluminum angle braces bolted together to form a truss frame. An innovative feature of the BD-4 was the wing structure, which employed a 'panel-rib' constructed in sections, consisting of a rib whose upper edge

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252-407: The horizontal stabilizer greatly reduce the effectiveness of hinged elevators during supersonic flight. Delta winged aircraft combine ailerons and elevators –and their respective control inputs– into one control surface called an elevon . Elevators are usually part of the tail, at the rear of an aircraft. In some aircraft, pitch-control surfaces are in the front, ahead of the wing. In

273-539: The horizontal stabilizer. Both the horizontal stabilizer and the elevator contribute to pitch stability, but only the elevators provide pitch control. They do so by decreasing or increasing the downward force created by the stabilizer: On many low-speed aircraft, a trim tab is present at the rear of the elevator, which the pilot can adjust to eliminate forces on the control column at the desired attitude and airspeed. Supersonic aircraft usually have all-moving tailplanes ( stabilators ), because shock waves generated on

294-606: The more recent BD-4B features a redesigned, more conventional, metal wing with a tubular spar bonded to honeycomb ribs . The aircraft remained available as plans for amateur construction in 2017, from Bedecorp of Medina, Ohio , United States. Bede also wrote a 165-page BD-4 builder's book, Build Your Own Airplane , giving the amateur builder a perspective on construction techniques. Data from Kitplanes and The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage General characteristics Performance Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Bede BD-1 The Bede BD-1

315-407: The rear of an aircraft , which control the aircraft's pitch , and therefore the angle of attack and the lift of the wing. The elevators are usually hinged to the tailplane or horizontal stabilizer . They may be the only pitch control surface present, and are sometimes located at the front of the aircraft (early airplanes and canards ) or integrated into a rear "all-moving tailplane", also called

336-447: Was a two-seat, single-engine, low-wing monoplane , the first design of American aeronautical engineer Jim Bede . The BD-1 was designed in 1960 as a kit-built aircraft intended for home assembly by amateur builders. Design goals included a kit price of $ US 2500, including a rebuilt 100 hp (75 kW) engine and a cruise speed of 130 knots (240 km/h). The prototype N624BD first flew in 1962. No kits were sold however, and it

357-450: Was extended horizontally to become one section of the wing surface. The wing was progressively built up by sliding these sections together over the tubular spar and fastening them together where they met. One downside to the panel-rib construction was not noticed until the aircraft had been in service for some time. Because the panels were glued together, they formed a liquid-tight bond, unlike conventional systems using rivets. Instead of using

378-556: Was intended to be offered with a variety of new or rebuilt engines. Rebuilt engines were to be available to reduce the purchase price. Design powerplants included the Continental A65-8 of 65 hp (48 kW), Continental C90-14F of 90 hp (67 kW), Continental O-200 A of 100 hp (75 kW) and a Lycoming O-235 C1 of 108 hp (81 kW). The BD-1 was never developed beyond prototype stage and no kits were produced. The company Bede founded to produce

399-476: Was not until Bede had been removed from the company and the design was reworked - including the removal of the folding wing feature - that it entered production as the American Aviation AA-1 Yankee , forerunner of the Grumman-American line of light aircraft. The BD-1 was a low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, utilizing aluminium honeycomb construction and a laminar flow wing. The aircraft

420-406: Was predominantly of bonded, rather than riveted, construction. It featured a sliding canopy and two seats. The aircraft was designed to be towed behind a car to allow it to be stored at home in a garage and thus reduce hangarage costs. To facilitate this goal the aircraft had folding wings and a horizontal stabilizer of less than 8 foot (2.4 m) width. It was designed to be fully aerobatic as well and

441-407: Was stressed for 9 g (90 m/s²). Many parts of the BD-1 were interchangeable to simplify production. For example, the wings were interchangeable as were the fin and horizontal tail. The ailerons and flaps were interchangeable and the rudder and elevators were also. Many aerodynamic and handling compromises were made to achieve this commonality of parts and trailer-ability. The aircraft

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