Bede BD-1
| BD-1 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Light aircraft |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Bede Aviation Corporation |
| Designer | |
| History | |
| First flight | July 11, 1963 |
| Variants | Grumman American AA-1 |
The Bede BD-1 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 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.