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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