BD-5J has military role, Fifi and Zeppelin grounded

[Johnny_L.A]

The BD-5J now has a military mission.

The “Small Manned Aerial Radar Target – 1” is as militarized as James Bond’s jet will ever get, fitted not with guns, but with classified technology that aims to make it harder to spot on a radar screen. Bishop and a hand-picked crew of pilots, who go by the name Freedom Team, have been working on various defense contracts since 2000, conducting a series of don’t-try-this-at-home missions: for example, flying fast and low toward Washington, D.C., in an airplane designed for stealth.

My dad was building a BD-5A in the '70s, but a moving company smashed it and he used the insurance money to buy a Cessna Skyhawk. (Turned out to be a good thing, since Jim Bede couldn’t deliver the engines after Hirth couldn’t produce them.) Dad proposed an idea to Jim Bede: A friend could get a jet engine from a drone. Could it be fitted to the BD-5? Bede told him no; absolutely not. And then he unveiled the BD-5J a year later. In any case, I always like reading about BD-5s.

Last flying B-29 grounded by engine trouble

The CAF, which operates a fleet of flying warbirds, said famous B-29 landed safely after one of its four engines failed in flight during the last airshow of the season. Repairs, and the purchase of a backup engine, are expected to cost more than $250,000, the organization announced, and a separate website has been established to collect donations specific to this effort.

I cringe when I remember footage of B-29s being destroyed after the war, and when I think of the one lost to fire in Greenland.

California Zeppelin grounded by economic storms

The only way you’ll get to experience a ride in a monster Zeppelin NT (new technology) is to travel to Friedrichshafen, Germany, and call Deutsche Zeppelin-Reederei for tickets. Airship Ventures, operating one of the craft in the San Francisco area, ceased operations suddenly on Nov. 14. The company is refunding ticket charges.

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Since its founding, the company had faced an economic recession that affected regular passenger numbers and demanded the need for a regular sponsorship partner for the company to remain viable. Adding to this, a world helium shortage increased the company’s operating costs and the pressure to find a long-term sponsor that has not materialized. The company posted a phone message that any would-be sponsors should call immediately, but the extension for that contact does not answer.

Rides started at $375 and increased to $1,000 for an “ultimate” tour.

[billfish678]

Also probably a good thing because I got the impression the BD - 5s were just plain dangerous period. Your dad probably avoided an early death, unless he was a careful Right Stuff sorta test pilot.

[Johnny_L.A]

@billfish678

Also probably a good thing because I got the impression the BD - 5s were just plain dangerous period. Your dad probably avoided an early death, unless he was a careful Right Stuff sorta test pilot.

Dad was a careful pilot, but from what I’ve heard the BD-5 was a bit of a beast to fly. I recall reading that in a power-off stall there was the potential for the turbulence from the wings to ‘blank’ the stabilator. (IIRC, the trim tab might be used to recover.) It sounded like some stalls were unrecoverable in certain conditions. (Note that I’m going on 30-year-old memories.) I also noted in the article that the flight dynamics change notably as fuel is burned.