[Zuriel]

I was just a college kid, passing through, back in Jan. 74 when I sat in a prop version, minus the engine, in the Bede showroom at Newton, KS airport.

A customer was there that had purchased a BD-5 kit. Jim Bede gave us both a tour of the place, and a ride in a BD-4 (high wing, four place). He put it through some nice maneuvers. Compared to the Piper Tri-pacer I was accustomed to flying, the bird's handling and simple construction impressed me, but I never followed it's history. Maybe it wasn't as great a plane as it seemed to me at the time. Or maybe flying a C-310 occasionally in the years following helped put it out of my mind. But the BD-5J must be a thrill ride like no other.

[NewHampshireDuo]

If I remember correctly the weak point of the prop version was the availability of the engine (a modified Honda I think). As for the jet, I think that the powerplant alone was in the $40k plus range (and the airframe kit was somewhere around $5k).