Pictures of BD-5B Serial #22 During Refurbishing

The pictures below show the state of N522PR after reinstallation of the upgraded engine, upgrading of the landing gear to the Alturair solid metal landing gear, removal of the rear canopy and removal of the instrument panel and instruments for recertification and design of a new instrument panel. The two-piece engine mount was reinstalled, replacing the one inch spacers with one-inch square bars of 7075-T351, the toughest aluminum I could find (I think it's the toughtest alloy for aircraft use available.) Since these pictures were taken the fuel boost pump was installed and the fuel system replumbed and connected with brand new AN fittings. Most of the old electrical wiring has been removed, and the new panel is finished (see below).

In these pictures you can see the ongoing work with the composite filler, SuperFil, to fill all the dimples, seams, etc. and level any surfaces that may not be completely smooth. This type of composite filler is extremely light (3.6 lbs per gallon, cured, and all the work you see here was done with a pint kit.) It goes on just like Bondo, but unlike Bondo it doesn't shrink or crack over time. It can be sanded and shaped just like Bondo. Just make sure you wear gloves. If you look closely and compare with the pictures below you can see that I have also removed all the surface corrosion and all the dark area in the metal. I did that with ultrafine Scotchbrite pads on a velcro holder with my pneumatic drill. Also, sanding sponges work great. The new prop from Prince Aircraft is installed, the brakes have been completely overhauled, new tires installed, and the engine is out because it is being overhauled and updated with fuel injection and newer internal components and accessories.

Redesigned panel pics

The First Pictures of BD-5B Serial # 22

BD-5 Serial # 22 was bought near Oakland, California. These pictures are a little old but they accurately reflect the state of the airframe. SN #22 was bought as "scrap" from Tom Johnson, disassembled, etc. The registration and airworthiness certificate were turned in and the aircraft was deregistered, as per instructions from the widow of the original builder, who passed away some time ago. It came with a custom BD-5 trailer built from Bede Aircraft Corp. plans, which needs extensive refurbishing and is in dire need of a few coats of paint. It will be my job to assemble the aircraft, register it again, get a new temporary airworthiness certificate and fly off the test hours with the help of a professional test pilot. After that, I hope to take the bird to Sun-N-Fun and Oshkosh in 2000. My ultimate goal to fly it from the southern tip of Florida to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico (and back, of course) sometime during the year 2000.

The previous owner of SN #22 was an engine expert. He used the BD-5, with the help of Keith Hinshaw and a few other pilots, as an engine test bed for his projects. In this picture you can see the solution that he came up with for controlling engine compartment temperature. The right engine compartment door has been modified with a NACA duct and an electric fan. This fan is operated only when the aircraft is on the ground. You can't see it on this picture, but the airflow into the engine and engine compartment is through ducts at the root of the wing. In this picture you can also see that the fuselage is unstretched. The aircraft has never had weight and balance or CG problems. You can't see it in this picture, but the cockpit is fully equipped with instrumentation and avionics, and is almost IFR-capable (needs an attitude indicator and navigation/strobe lights).

This image shows a more complete view of the airframe, with the engine compartment cooling fan. You'll notice that it as a flush comm antenna on the tail, like the one I installed in the vertical stabilizer of my previous kit (the installation is covered in the construction log available from the main page). The propeller is custom made, 48" diameter, wood. If you take a close look, you can see that behind the spar, in the wing root, there are two fuel lines. This aircraft is set up for fuel injection, with a fuel feed line coming from the fuel tank pickup and a return line coming from the custom throttle body fuel injection system that was installed on the engine (last one was an AMW three-cylinder engine). You'll also notice a louver under the rear canopy (above the engine compartment door, also visible in the picture above this one). This louver draws air into the fuel injection system to equalize the air pressure inside the engine compartment for the fuel injection system. Also, the fuselage today has a light surface corrosion which has to be removed. The black paint on the vertical stab and rudder is primer. I plan to remove all primer and polish the entire airframe after treating it with Alumiprep.

This is a picture of Keith Hinshaw and Tom Johnson, the previous owner of this BD-5. Keith is in the cockpit, Tom is to the right. Keith was involved in the flight testing of this aircraft as an engine test bed. He also reviewed the construction and upgraded a number of the components, such as the landing gear.

Another view of SN # 22. Not much to see here because of the lighting, but a tiny bit of the engine installation can be seen.

A view of the cockpit area of SN # 22. The canopy latching mechanism will be replaced with a Hartwell latch that is already on order. The person in the picture is Keith Hinshaw during his military aviation days. One interesting thing you can see here is the addition of an aluminum compartment behind the seat, attached to FU-1. SN #22 has fully functional water and oil cooling systems with custom radiators. The compartment behind the pilot holds the main radiator for water cooling. Air flow is channeled through an opening in the forward wing root, into this chamber, through the radiator and out the back with the rest of the hot air and exhaust. It worked extremely well, but it cuts down on badly-needed space for me in the cockpit. Either I get shorter, or I use an air-cooled engine. Haven't decided yet, but I know it will fly.