News

The Bede Family is growing . . .

We are pleased to announce the BD Aero is in the final stages of licensing the BD-4C aircraft to Gratia Aero.

They will be selling the BD-4C kits in various packages.

They will also have two build centers available for our future builder families to utilize.

All of the rest of our aircrafts will still be offered by BD Aero, along with the support we have

continued to supply our BD builders through out the years.

  • Our new 5 x 12 CNC Machine arrived in May along with our new 80 ton Amada press.  Now we can form our own aluminum angles, wing skins, control skins, cut out honeycomb ribs out, honeycomb ribs for our control surfaces and landing gear box.
  • We just produced our first 5 fuselage kits  All of the angles and gussets now come pre-cut and pre-drilled.  Celco your fuselage together in 3 hours.
  • Unfortunately, the cost of aluminum has increased significantly because of the tarrifs.  Starting August 1, 2025 we will be adjusting our prices.
  • Wing Kits- We now have removed Proseal from the wing kit.  The proseal has an expiration date so in order to insure the freshest proseal, the customer will now order it when they need it.
  • Fuselage, Wing, Landing Gear Packages are always in stock.  The control and finish packages are about 3 weeks out from the initial order.  Please note that all packages do have some drop ship items.

Bede Aircraft/Surewings- Our dealer in California is moving foward.  They have just moved into their new larger facility.  His Builder Assist crew has assembled two BD-4C fuselages.  You can order your BD-4 kits or a complete aircraft through them.  Also, they will have their “Deluxe” version of the BD-4 which can be purchased through Surewings.

Jim Bede’s thoughts on van’s aircraft:

I have been asked by several people to weigh in with regard to the situation with Van’s Aircraft.Van’s Aircraft is very important to the ecosystem of the Experimental Aircraft Association. They are the foundation and we need them to survive! I hope they can get through all of their issues. I think the liability issue will be the toughest one to get through. I was very surprised to hear that such a successful company as Van’s Aircraft’s is experiencing issues in their accounting and quality control departments. 

We are here if they need our help ~ Jim Bede

sport aviation |December 2019 issue |Art Zemon - BD-4

Returning to the Fleet: The BD-10 N700JP

Now that the plane has made it back to the US, we are happy to announce that a BD-10 is returning to the fleet. The aircraft was built and flown in Ohio and is heading to Florida to be reassembled.

For more information on the BD-10, please visit the aircraft history page on our website.

BD-6 Flight with N345X and N543X

Tony Gallo & George May
Tony Gallo and George May have been diligently working on their BD-6 N345X and N543X . The preliminary numbers are in for their primarily flight.
Tony reported stalling at 40 mph and topped out at 140 mph with no fairings.

Lincoln News Now

In Junior High, Richard met a kid named Jim Bede, who was also very interested in aviation, Richard said Bede was experimenting with little rocket and jet engines when they first met. “He wasn’t having much success with his little rocket motor, it kept blowing up on him,” Richard said. The two became very close friends and it was a friendship that would last through all the highs and lows in both men’s lives.

via ~ Feb 16, 2019

November 2016 issue

A pilot since 1987, Zemon’s desire for a new airplane to replace his 1968 Piper Arrow began in 2006. “Stuff was wearing out [and] I wanted to replace all the mechanical stuff with modern non-electric doodads. “Arrow-compatibility glass “cost well into five figures, and I was simply unwilling to put that kind of money in a 40-year old airplane. That started me noodling on the problem of what I would rather have and how I could get it.”

August 2018 issue

The BD-17 strikes one very much to be a flying a jet ski. Yes, there are many larger boats available to the fisherman or pleasure boater, but if you just want to go fast and have fun on the water, it is hard to beat a single-seat jet ski. The BD-17 is much the same, a single-seat airplane that you strap on and–burning just a couple gallons an hour–go and explore the neighborhood from the air.