James R. Bede, who designed 18 aircraft in his 50-plus-year career in aviation, passed away at the age of 82 on July 9, 2015. Bede died as the result of an unrecoverable aneurysm suffered at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Bede, EAA Lifetime 3758, had a number of well-known designs including the BD-4 high wing, BD-5 piston pusher, and BD-5J microjet. The latter gained considerable attention after being featured in the 1983 James Bond movie Octopussy. It was also popular at air shows flown by the Coors Light Silver Bullet Jet Team.
In 1971, Bede was honored with the Dr. August Raspet Memorial Award for having made outstanding contributions to the advancement of light aircraft design.
All Aero 