PIECES OF A DREAM

Within these cardboard cocoons lie the pieces of a dream to cruise sandwiched between the sky and the checkerboard of earth at the controls of your plane. A fighter plane that a student could fly, yet costing less than the car that brought you to the airport. [Music] Aluminum butterflies will spread their wings from these cocoons as the dream is awakened into reality. The BD5. [Music] The BD5 indeed could be classified as a bargain basement airplane. It's a bargain costing little more than $2,000. And you construct it in your basement with simple tools. [Music] But that simplicity is the result of complex engineering work by Jim Bey and his staff. Bey, a perfectionist and a veteran long-distance flyer, made sure each of his previous models were unique unto themselves. And the fifth member of the Bey Design family is quickly recognized as more than just last year's design, slightly modified with special wing tips and different paint scheme. The computer at BD aircraft in Newton, Kansas, is just as important as the flight line when it comes to design and performance specifications. Before the first BD5 ever left the ground, the computer had told its design team what the plane could and couldn't do and how they could make it do things they wanted. What Jim Bey got was a craft 13.3 ft long, 5 ft wide, with a wingspan ranging up to 14 1/3 ft that can cruise over 1,000 m, can reach speeds over 200 mph with a 40 horsepower engine that needs little as 400 ft of runway to get airborne, and has a stall speed of 60 mph with claps. [Music] What the owner gets is a saucy little package that looks more like a jet fighter than a homemade single seater. At first glance, the words streamline and sleek seem emlazen just above the identification number. It's the air age equivalent to that ideal, the sports roadster, complete with disc brakes. Is it a dream? Yes. Every technological breakthrough is a dream in some man's mind. Jim Bey had his dream and now you can have yours. [Music] And these are the pieces of a dream. [Music] Fuselage, wings, ailerons, flaps, tail, landing gear, drive system, canopy, seats, nuts, bolts, screws, washers, rivets, bearings, cables, putter pins, adhesives, primers, paint, wheels, brakes, tires, exhaust system, propeller, Altimeter, airspeed, compass, engine. [Music] And these are the pieces of a dream. [Music] [Applause] [Music] plans on the table and boxes containing the parts of the BD5 are an open invitation to experimental aviators or to the interested plier with home workshop experience to spend weekends and evenings putting together the pieces of a dream. Several hundred hours work should get a BD5 off the ground. With some help, that will take considerably less time. Except for some minor welding, the BD5 can go from the box to the blue with the use of screwdrivers, wrenches, socket sets, hacksaw, hammer, drill, and saber saw. Basic sections are preformed. For the remainder, simple shaping with tin snips, a drill, a file, and a mallet is all that's needed for installation. The builder transfers his full-size drawings to the aluminum using a felt marking pen. Tin snips are used to rough cut the piece and it is then filed to remove any rough edges. Holes are drilled along the stress line which will serve as the edge. The holes keep the aluminum from cracking when it is cut by the tin snips. A wooden block is prepared in the shape of the desired curve and a well-handled mallet finishes the job. All that's necessary is fitting and fastening the piece to the plane. Cleos are used to hold the sections in place. A cleco is a temporary fastener that is inserted through the drilled holes. When the tool is removed, they expand, holding the metal tight. When the builder is ready, the cleos are removed one at a time and replaced by permanent fasteners, pop riets, and epoxy bonding. One of the simplest yet strongest bonds available to the home handyman. [Music] But even without a neighborhood of fellow fires to help, you're not alone in building the BD5. Distribution of the kits is handled around the country by franchise dealers who can explain all there is to know about the BD5. The anxious aviator can purchase his kit right there on the spot from the dealer. And the dealer has answers for all the questions the wouldbe Wright brothers have. [Music] Mock-ups will be available to check and doublech checkck every phase of construction. Prospective buyers can check how Jim Bey himself would put one of the kits together. [Music] From layout of parts to shaping to interior equipment installation and even applying the paint, the homebuilder need never be in doubt, nor is he without extra parts. Such precision is used in manufacturing the kits that parts are interchangeable. A short-wing BD5A can at any time in the future become a long-winged BD5B, able to soar on the air currents without using the engine. Wings from a friend's plane will fit yours. Boxes contain parts that are so precisely machined that parts from any BD5 can be used on any other. That means should you ever need extra or spare parts, they are ready for delivery from BD Aircraft in Newton, Kansas. Each dealer will also have a direct line to Kansas for any optional features that the builder might wish to add after the initial construction. Variable speed drive, longer wings to allow soaring and an electrical system for automatic starting are a few of the features that can be included in the original package or added later. Finally, comes the dawn. Will the dream dissipate with the sunrise? With the BD5, the launching day means that it is no longer a dream. The last pieces of that dream, the wings are attached. One can of oil, one ratchet, and two men will fit the wing over the aluminum spar and tighten it to the fuselage. A light coating of oil permits the wing to slip onto the spar more easily. One man supports the wing tip while the second guides it into place. [Music] The ratchet is employed to make the final adjustment by bringing it snugly to the fuselage. Those weeks in the garage or workshop are now telescoped to moments on the runway as builder becomes pilot and a miscellaneous of metal parts becomes an aircraft. [Music] As the pre-flight check progresses and the pilot glances at his controls, it's hard to believe this plane is homemade. The controls operate efficiently and easily, the result of extensive testing more commonly found in developing military aircraft. One of the innovations adopted in the BD5 is the stabilator. The entire tail wing becomes an elevator. Pre-takeoff checks are like the BD5, short and simple. Fuel on, mixture rich, trim set, flaps up, control, check freedom of movement, variable speed drive, hold the brakes, and run the engine up to full throttle. There's very little to keep the pilot waiting between fuel stop and taxi way. Only one question remains for the builder pilot. Will it fly? Director of development for the BD5 Bert Rutan says the BD5 has been designed and tested to certified aircraft standards. It is a design that possesses excellent safe flying qualities and performance far superior to any available personal aircraft. Basically, what we've done is make available a complete package of aircraft quality materials for a fully tested airframe to ensure that a builder will have a safe, quality flying machine when he rolls it out for that first flight. Test pilot Les Bourbon describes his first takeoff. It's very easy to track straight down the runway and visibility is excellent. In fact, you can see the runway 10 ft in front of the nose. During the first part of the takeoff roll, I normally hold full ass stick to lighten the load in the nose wheel. Power on the nose wheel lifts off at about 45 mph. It comes off gently, so there's no problem holding it right where you want it. I usually put the top of the instrument panel right on the horizon and hold it there till the aircraft flies off the runway at about 75 mph indicated air speed. [Music] Will it fly? Jim Bey might reply, "Does a screwdriver fly?" And then on takeoff, turn the prop real slow and engine real fast. And as we gradually build up speed, gradually turn the prop faster and faster. So the reason for adjustable pitch prop is not because of the aerodynamics. It's it's really because of the engine. The engine can't develop the power and in this case we go to low ratio easily develop the power on the engine and uh then gradually change. It's a lot easier doing it that way than they have the big mechanism on the prop back there. Obviously, the answer to Bey's question is yes, a screwdriver does fly. And Jim Bey's answer to your question is yes. But the BD5 doesn't just fly, it flies.