This Bede BD-8 was purchased by Mike Huffman partially-completed following the Bede Aircraft bankruptcy auction in 1977. Huffman finished the aircraft in 1980 and flew it to Oshkosh. The single-place airplane was designed by Jim Bede for competition aerobatics, featuring a Lycoming I0-360 engine, constant-speed prop, sheet metal fuselage and tail group, composite wings, and composite spring main gear.
The large, slab-sided aft fuselage was designed to enhance knife-edge performance. A unique feature of the design (though not incorporated on this aircraft) was that each half of the all-flying stabilator moved independently in concert with the ailerons – the idea was to provide better roll rates during vertical rolls.
All Aero 