Bede BD-4 (oz3387)

About this Plan

Jim Bede BD-4. Radio control scale model, for 1-3 channels and .15 - .25 engines. Fred Reese's Bede BD-4 from RC Sportsman issue 11-75.

Quote: "For the novice, the ideal combination of easy flying and Scale appearance. Bede BD-4, by Fred Reese.

The large, boxy fuselage is easy to construct and there is lots of room for your radio and extra foam padding. The high-lift wing allows very slow flight speeds and is very forgiving of mistakes. The airplane will recover hands off from stalls, spirals or dives.

The following is an excerpt from the cover letter that accompanied Mr Reese's article submission. It so aptly and concisely describes his motivation for this project that I felt it should be included as a preface to the article. It should also be noted that the article contains not only step-by-step instructions for building the aircraft but some valuable tips on learning to fly R/C, particularly valuable to the novice who does not have the assistance of an instructor. The flight-training segment should also be valuable to anyone about to fly R/C for the first time.

Enclosed is a copy of an article for a basic trainer which I would like you to consider for publication. It is a semi-scale BD-4 with a rather lengthy text that includes basic flight in-structions which I feel have been lacking in other trainer articles. My wife and I have traveled around the US for the last two years and discovered many cities with no R/C activity except for the magazines on the newstands. People wanting to fly in these areas need more than just a good luck' wish, yet with the right trainer and some preparation they can learn to fly without an instructor. I chose a semi-scale design because it represents a full size aircraft even though it is not a P-51 . There is just some-thing special about a scale machine.

This semi-scale version of Jim Bede's two-place homebuilt airplane is a radio-controlled basic trainer, designed to fly like a large, sport free flight that is inherently stable. Like a free flight, the BD-4 could be flown from take off to landing without ever touching the controls. In fact, my BD-4 was developed from plans for a 12'/2" rubber-powered version, designed by Bill Hannan, The BD-4 will quickly recover and return to level flight from any dive or spiral induced by a new pilot by simply letting go of the control stick.

The BD-4 is intended to be flown with three servos and a .19 or .20 engine, using rudder, elevator and throttle control. Two-channel radios can be used for rudder and elevator control with a .15 or .19 for power. If the flying field you will be using is rough or grassy or above 4000 ft, the plane will probably need a .25 engine and larger wheels to take off. Once in the air, the throttle should be reduced since the BD-4 is designed to climb rapidly under full power and cruise at reduced power.

Construction. Use Titebond, Wilhold or other white glue for general construction and Hobbypoxy Formula II or other epoxy for high-stress areas and use liquid contact cement such as Weldwood to bond the plywood doublers to the fuselage sides. Do not use 'model airplane cements' as they are not strong enough.

Epoxy the engine mount to the firewall with the 1/16 plywood shim behind the left side of the mount to provide right thrust which will counteract the torque of the engine. Note that the mount is about 1/8in to the left of centre of the firewall. Drillout the engine-mount bolt holes..."

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 16/10/2018: Added complete article, thanks to theshadow.

Supplementary file notes

Article.

Corrections?

Did we get something wrong with these details about this plan (especially the datafile)? That happens sometimes. You can help us fix it.
Add a correction