I have come up with a demented rule that states that all record distance flights could have been done with half as much fuel. This certainly seems to be the case for the BD-2 flight, since he had plenty of fuel when it landed because of the lectric failure.

thanks Jon. I wonder why Bede used a 200 hp engine if he only needed 30 hp for cruising and if he had 2 or 3 blade prop for this plane.

Sam Johnson, you are mixing up the XBD-2 with the BD-2. These are two completely different aircraft.

The BD-2 love has a 3 bladed, ducted pusher propeller, very different from the illustration. This was the best design in the history of record setting planes, much better than Rutanīs Voyager of Global explorer. The flight was aborted by an electrical failure, with planty of fuel left.

I was living in Columbus at the time of the first flight. I remember seeing a scary film of the takeoff. I seem to recall a liftoff, a jarring settling, another lift and a quick jettison of the undercarriage that seemed to make the slight difference that allowed it to stay airborne. It looked like he was weaving through the trees as he departed the area. Has that film been preserved?