The BD-5 Micro is a small American, single-seat homebuilt kit aircraft introduced in the early 1970s by Jim Bede. The BD-5 has a small fuselage holding its semi-reclined pilot under a large canopy, with the engine installed in a compartment in the middle of the fuselage, and a propeller (or jet engine in the BD-5J variant) in the rear. The combination of fighter-like looks and relatively low cost led to the BD-5 selling over 5,000 kits or plans.[1] However few were actually completed due to the company's bankruptcy in the mid-1970s, brought on by the failure to deliver a reliable engine for the design. In total only a few hundred were completed, although many of these are still being flown today. Contents [hide] * 1 Design and development o 1.1 Flight testing o 1.2 Deliveries begin o 1.3 Deliveries end o 1.4 Further developments * 2 BD-5J * 3 Surviving Aircraft * 4 Specifications (BD-5B) * 5 See also * 6 References...