Five Kits Under Construction, Prop Needs Final Adjustments

By ANN Correspondent  Juan Jimenez

The BD-17 Nugget, a single-seat sport plane designed by Jim Bede, is now being built by five customers. Two of them are building their aircraft in Florida, two are in Ohio and one of them is in Texas.

Test pilot Corkey Fornof is also in the process of completing the flight testing of the prototype aircraft with the latest modifications. Most of the work is done, and they are now working on testing different propellers to determine the optimum configuration.

According to Fornof, the aircraft is "running like a charm and is too much fun. The cabin is so big that I need cushions." One thing that did stand out to this reporter is how quiet the aircraft was as Fornof put it through its paces in the pattern and over the flight line at Lakeland. "The aircraft is indeed quiet inside as well, and it is also very 'stealthy'. I definitely recommend the installation of a transponder so TCAS on larger aircraft can see it, and strobes."

One thing most people who are interested in the aircraft want to know is if the flight tests are confirming Jim Bede's performance figures for the design. Fornof says that the numbers are right on the money. At full power (6100 RPM) with no wheel pants and what is still not the right prop, the aircraft is reaching 150 mph IAS on 3 gph. At cruise power of 5600 RPM, IAS is 135 mph on 2.5 gph fuel consumption, a very impressive performance.

Fornof reports that the Nugget has great rudder response - at as little as 5 or 6 mph he can steer on the ground with the rudder instead of the brakes. "How's that for rudder authority?" he quipped. On takeoff, the Nugget starts to get light at 50 mph. He usually rotates it at 70 mph - anything less and he says the pilot will have to hold attitude in ground effect before trying to climb. He then stabilizes the climb at 85 mph, achieving slightly over 800 fpm. Once the right propeller is found, he expects all the numbers to improve slightly.

The aircraft stalls at 55 mph dirty. However, 10 to 12 mph before he reaches that it shows clear signs of sinking, which is instantly resolved through application of power. Full control authority is retained before, through and after the stall. The controls are all nicely balanced on all axes, and the airplane is "sweet to fly," says Fornof.

Fornof added that he's found that best L/D is achieved at 90 mph - anything higher and the little bird just does not seem to want to head back to the roost. It is very easy to set up a stabilized approach by selecting two notches of flaps and slightly reducing power to 4600 RPM or so. Hold the attitude and speed all the way down to the numbers and slowly cut power after passing the runway threshold to have the aircraft gently settle into the runway.  Without even trying, Fornof says he is getting 600 to 700 foot landing rolls after touching down at 65 to 70 mph.

The only airframe changes done since the last time we reported on the Nugget's progress are some minor cowling changes and the fact that Lopresti is now manufacturing the wing panels. This reporter tried out the Nugget for size, and was able to easily and comfortably fit all 70 inches and 235 pounds of ex-Marine into the spacious cabin, with plenty of room to spare and at least 4 inches of headroom under the canopy.

Could this be the winner that Jim Bede has been searching for so long? This reporter is convinced that it is, but only time will tell as kits are completed and begin to take to the air.

Fmi: www.jimbede.com, www.corkeyfornof.com