Select Page

Bede HB-1 Super Demoiselle

The Bede HB-1 Super Demoiselle was an ultralight aircraft designed by Jim Bede[1][2] in 1966[2] and marketed for homebuilding.[1][2] It was designed to be powered with engines in the 65-to-100-horsepower (48 to 75 kW) range.[1][2] It was named in honour of Albert Santos-Dumont's pioneering aircraft Demoiselle (French for "Dragonfly"), which had a similar general configuration.[1][2]

Design

The Super Demoiselle carried its pilot within an open framework suspended on struts beneath a parasol wing.[3] A Bede advertisement of the time described the "the 'open-air' flying thrill only possible with this type of aircraft."[4] The prototype featured an aerodynamic fairing in front of the pilot's seat though.[3]

Its V-tail was mounted on a boom that extended from the wing,[2] and a single piston engine driving a tractor propeller was mounted on the leading edge of the wing.[2] Although the prototype was fitted with a Continental A65, the design was intended for various engines up to 100 horsepower (75 kW), with a Volkswagen air-cooled engine named as a specific example.[2][4]

It had fixed, tricyle undercarriage, the main units of which were enclosed in spats on the prototype.[2]

The wing was contructed of 15 identical fiberglass sections mounted on an aluminum spar,[2] the first of Bede's designs to introduce this construction method to the home builder.[1] The same Bede advertisement stated that the wing could be fabricated in a single evening.[4]

The tail boom was constucted from the same material as the wing spar, while the tail surfaces were made from an aluminum honeycomb material.[2] The framework surrounding the pilot's seat was square-section alloy tube.[2]

The entire airframe consisted of only 85 components,[2] and Bede claimed it could be built in just a couple of months for $700 (this price not including engine and accessories.)[4]

The prototype was registered N590A in November 1966 and remained on the FAA registry until cancelled in 1974.[5][a] The design was only offered for sale for a short time, appearing in only a single edition of Jane's All the World's Aircraft, the 1967–68 edition.[6]

Specifications (prototype)

Data from Taylor 1967, p.197

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 18 ft 5 in (5.61 m)
  • Wingspan: 26 ft 0 in (7.92 m)
  • Height: 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
  • Wing area: 105 sq ft (9.8 m2)
  • Empty weight: 525 lb (238 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 767 lb (348 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Continental A65 air-cooled, four-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine, 65 hp (48 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 75 mph (121 km/h, 65 kn) (estimated at MTO weight)
  • Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s) (estimated, at sea level, at MTO weight)

Notes

References

  1. ^ Note that the FAA records the manufacturer name as "DANOISELLE" (sic)
  1. ^ a b c d e The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft 1982, p.516
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Taylor 1967, p.197
  3. ^ a b Taylor 1967, p.196
  4. ^ a b c d "Bede Homebuilts [advertisement]". Sport Aviation. Oshkosh, WI: The Experimental Aircraft Association. September 1966. p. 55.
  5. ^ "Aircraft Inquiry" [N590A]
  6. ^ Taylor 1971, p.754

Bibliography

  • "Aircraft Inquiry [N590A]". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
  • Taylor, John W. R. (1967). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1967–68. London: Sampson, Low, Marston.
  • Taylor, John W. R. (1971). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1971–72. London: Sampson, Low, Marston.