RC Model Giant-Scale Bede 8

How often do you see an 88-pound Bede 8 model airplane at the field? (How about never!) This unusual RC airplane was scratch-built by the late Doug Rigby and is now owned and flown by Paul Needham. The fiberglass plane has built-up wings finished in fiberglass cloth and is powered by a DLE 222cc flat four-cylinder gas engine spinning a 34x12 propeller.

How often do you see an 88-pound Bede 8 model airplane at the field? (How about never!) This unusual RC airplane was scratch-built by the late Doug Rigby and is now owned and flown by Paul Needham. The fiberglass plane has built-up wings finished in fiberglass cloth and is powered by a DLE 222cc flat four-cylinder gas engine spinning a 34×12 propeller. Thanks to the father and son team of Pete and Dean Coxon, known as “Tbobborap1” on YouTube, for this terrific video they took at the Large Model Association RC airplane airshow at RAF Cosford in the United Kingdom.
The original Bede BD-8 was an aerobatics aircraft developed in the United States in the mid-1970s. It was a low-wing, single-seat monoplane of conventional configuration, albeit very short-coupled, and of all-metal construction. The single prototype was under construction by Jim Bede when his company, Bede Aircraft, faced bankruptcy in 1977. The incomplete BD-8 was purchased by Mike Huffman, who completed its construction in 1980. It first flew on May 14, 1980.

7 Comments

  1. Personally, I am kind of partial to the BD 5 and its sister ship, the BD5J (for jet). These planes were built with short wings that could be swapped for a longer set of wings to make it a capable soarer.
    Rick

  2. When can i get the printed copy of MAN?
    That’s what I signed up for. Please advise.
    Thank you,
    Don Brann

  3. Great flyer and well flown. Sure has a responsive throttle! Enjoyed the history lesson on the prototype; I’d forgotten all about that episode. Can I comment on the smoke? It’s always on when the engine’s running? Sweet landing – the LG’s got just the right amount of spring action.

  4. although a basically one of a kind airplane , nicely built and decently flown, can anyone tell me why so many of these can’t take off properly, its like from the pit to take across the runway,

  5. I think that the pilot in the plane should be larger…its’ size isn’t true to scale for that size plane. Otherwise, very impressive..I liked the video.

  6. Am I the only one to notice that week after week all of the Featured Videos of beautifully built planes are from Europe? That’s quite a statement on the sorry state of model building in the US where ARF’s have become the norm.

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