I just had to put this in. I owned a Yankee and I found that it was the best
plane that I have ever flown. It just became a part of you when you got in
and it handled great. It was fast for just a 235 engine and if I were not
disabled I would be looking for another one. I hae seen a number of Bede's
kit planes BD4's and BD10-J and all in all they have been very good. The way
that I see it the people that say that they are no goo are the ones that
have never flown one. I will say that you have to be on your toes most of
the time but that is where the fun comes from for me. People that just want
to set back and let the plane do everything had best stay away from Bede's
planes

"Gordon Arnaut" wrote in message
...
Hey Guys,

I'm not trying to promote Jime Bede. I've never even owned a Yankee or any
of Jim's other designs -- alhtough I know several Grumanns owners and they
are excellent flying airplanes.

The BD-18 does seem like "vaporware" right now, but the smaller
single-seat
BD-17 has flown and I don't see why the BD-18 shouldn't fly just fine.

Another possibility for building an aluminum two-seater from plans is
Chris
Heintz's Zenith 601 series. With a Lyc 235 max cruise is "only" 138mph,
but
stall would be lower than on an RV-9. The Zenith actually has a little
more
wing area than the RV with a max weight that is conisederably lower.

You can use a Rotax 912, Jabiru, Continental O-200, or Lycoming on this
plane, or even a Corvair. Lots of people build these from scratch and they
use pulled "Avex" rivets, so no bucking -- which means they go together a
lot quicker.

Personally, I understand Netgeek's point about wanting to build from
scratch. While Van's prices are very attractive compared to what's out
there, I think the actual material costs are probably only a fraction of
that. There are lots of people who build metal planes from scratch. I know
a
couple of guys who are building all-metal Polliwagons.

Regards,

Gordon.

PS: I would still rather build a wood plane.


"C.D.Damron" wrote in message
news:Ibu5e.2589$8Z6.1278@attbi_s21...

"Morgans" wrote in message
...
Has it flown yet? How many are flying, and how many hours?


How dare you ask the obvious.