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Jim Bede began designing a small highly-maneuverable, fully-aerobatic aircraft in 1970. The success of the BD-5 encouraged Bede to offer the plane in kit form for home-built construction. A special power drive system was designed consisting of a belt drive having a fixed ratio between the engine and propeller drive shaft, with a variable drive optional. The engine problems centered around weight/power, cooling, and reliability problems. Finding a suitable engine for the aircraft proved challenging, with Polaris, Hirth, Yenoah, Kawasaki, and Honda Civic engines being tried. Another approach was a turbocharged Honda automobile engine marketed by the Bede-Micro organization of San Jose, California.

This Honda Civic engine is an automotive power plant, not converted to aircraft use, and acquired as a spare engine for the museum’s Bede BD-5B aircraft, which was powered by a Honda Civic EB-2 turbocharged engine rated at 75 kW (101 shp).

 Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date Circa 1970s Country of Origin Japan Type PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary Manufacturer Honda Automobile Company
 Physical Description Type: Reciprocating, 4 cylinders, In-line, Water-cooled Power rating: 39 kW (52 hp) at 5,000 rpm for Ed seies engines Displacement: 1.487 L (90.7 cu in) Bore and Stroke: Unknown Weight: Unknown Dimensions Storage (Rehoused on an aluminum pallet with three additional objects): 121.9 × 121.9 × 76.2cm, 145.2kg (48 × 48 × 30 in., 320lb.)
 Materials Aluminum, Steel, Rubber, Brass, Paint, Plastic, Ceramic, Textile
 Inventory Number A19840840000 Credit Line Gift of Mr. Albert C. Beckwith, Commercial Aviation Corporation Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
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