"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
02/15/2014 at 19:49 • Filed to: planelopnik
4
8|
"Grindintosecond" (Grindintosecond)
02/15/2014 at 19:49 • Filed to: planelopnik | 4
| 8 |
I was in college, 21, and pissing away massive cash every month on flight ratings and full class loads. But this partial kit was a steal at $125. We all know at 21 how much time anything takes and what things ultimately cost. Oh yeah...absolutely.
I wasn’t 18 and immature anymore right? At the time I thought it was a great deal. I had all pieces of the body, bulkheads, nose and canopy. They were in great shape for an unbuilt kit. I shortly learned how much the rest would cost. Main spar? Manual actuated retractable landing gear mechanicals? Second hand set of wings? .....ENGINE???
I t was turning out to be a money hole for the rest if I could find the parts. But I had a rented house and a basement to use for two more years right? I could do this right? Well...no.
Graduation, new crap pay job, and in the next 10 years I moved 6 times for the flying career and the pieces wound up in my parents rented mini storage. I finally looked into making it a real deal and scoured the internet about the construction....
As things turn out, 90% of all BD-5 aircraft ever built and flown have crashed. Umm....not all died, just crashed. I decided there was no way in hell I was going to ball myself up like that. The pieces were eventually ‘recycled’ by the parents because I took so long to decide what to do with the fuselage skins. I think the canopy is still there but there’s a scratch in it and a small chip out the corner.
I think I made the right choice and learned a lot. Any aircraft project costs 2 to 3 times the estimate. If it flys, rent it. Oh, try not to build something that will kill you 9 out of 10 times you get in it.
JustWaitingForAMate
> Grindintosecond
02/15/2014 at 19:53 |
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Yeah....I barely trust the breakfast I make in the morning. I'm sure as hell not trusting a plane I put together.
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Grindintosecond
> JustWaitingForAMate
02/15/2014 at 19:55 |
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I would trust a reputable design history...but this one had that bad life decision written all over it...like marrying that Haitian hooker.
Jayhawk Jake
> Grindintosecond
02/15/2014 at 20:01 |
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It's too much plane for the typical homebuilder, and I suspect it's size and simplicity make it misleading.
Better stick to an RV-7 if you want a small aerobatic homebuilt
6shelBfan6
> Grindintosecond
02/15/2014 at 21:15 |
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Wasn't there a guy that put a jet engine in one of these things?
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Grindintosecond
> 6shelBfan6
02/15/2014 at 22:41 |
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Its the J model. Anyone can build one, they just have to afford a small jet engine and be able to pay for the gas (40 gallons per hour burn) and then they can play like James Bond in the intro to Octopussy.
Kaltrop
> Jayhawk Jake
02/15/2014 at 23:55 |
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+1 to a Vans. Wont kill you or your bank account (both with some love and care of course :) )
oddhammer
> Grindintosecond
02/16/2014 at 00:47 |
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Awesome. My dad put down a deposit on one (turnkey) from Bede way back in the day. $5,000. I was SO stoked. Company went under, my dad lost his deposit and -after saving for 8 years- bought a V-35b.
Bubbles22
> Grindintosecond
02/16/2014 at 22:31 |
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DB-5 was pretty cool. BD-10 was freaking AWESOME! It would have been even more awesomer had the wings remained attached when the plane got near supersonic speeds.
