BD-5 Flies At AirVenture
Former F-14 and A-10 driver Justin Lewis worked to update the BD-5 and was invited this year to fly it over the grand stage of EAA’s AirVenture Oshkosh airshow as the FLSMicroJet — so that’s exactly what he did. Lewis said he worked with BD Microtechnologies to help create the FLSMicroJet, a modernized BD-5. The jet weighs 416 pounds empty, has a glass panel, and delivers 265 lbs of thrust that drive it to speeds up to 320 mph. It has a wingspan of just 17 feet and, says Justin, “a CG range of about 2 inches.”
Former F-14 and A-10 driver Justin Lewis worked to update the BD-5 and was invited this year to fly it over the grand stage of EAA's AirVenture Oshkosh airshow as the FLSMicroJet -- so that's exactly what he did. Lewis said he worked with BD Microtechnologies to help create the FLSMicroJet, a modernized BD-5. The jet weighs 416 pounds empty, has a glass panel, and delivers 265 lbs of thrust that drive it to speeds up to 320 mph. It has a wingspan of just 17 feet and, says Justin, "a CG range of about 2 inches."
Justin flies his airshow routine up to more than four G's and says the tiny jet is actually very easy to fly ... "with the exception of conditioning yourself for the very low-to-the-ground sight picture on landing." Lewis told AVweb he was inspired by seeing the jet as a young man and now hopes to pass on that gift to other young people that may see him at AirVenture or future airshows across the country.
