TOP 10 Smallest Aircraft

[@billkaroly]

The BD-5 started life as a propeller aircraft.

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

That's right. I don't think Jim Bede ever envisioned a jet-powered version of his design. That was done later by others. The original aircraft was intended to operate with an inexpensive 40-horsepower piston engine to keep the overall cost very low, so a small turbofan or turbojet would have been out of the question.

[@Skamanda]

Are you not familiar with the dismal safety record of the BD-5, even after they increased the wingspan? The Pitts is a decent airplane, but the BD-5 is a widowmaker.

[@claudegrosjean8996]

Bill Karoly airbus a 34o

[@peterzion2014]

Jim Bede chose to take customer money for his 5000$ kits to develop the jet, hoping to get rich with the US military buying the jet for a much cheaper jet fighter trainer. He even sent out nice newsletters to my Dad who was so excited to finally build his own aerobatic airplane. When the US military branches rejected the BD5 Jet, Jim Bede filed bankruptcy and certainly never delivered the purchased BD5 kits! My Dad was so very disappointed! He never got an airplane.

[@waynewaddell2430]

Original aircraft kit sold for 2695 dollars, back in 1972, featured in popular mechanics, (cover) in that year eronca re introduced the champ factory built for $4995.00 two seats tandem ragwing

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

The Bumble Bee is in Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson! I saw it there in 2013.

[@kenhorner6836]

Really nice compilation

[@drampadreg1386]

I always liked the auto gyros, my favourite being the xeon executive with it's luxurious interior and options plus with a 140 hp Rotax it cruses at around 125mph and it's actually cheaper to fly than it's less expensive models with smaller engines. But I like them all because they have a zero stall speed and they like bad weather. It's also pretty easy to make your own.

[@brandonoyler760]

I remember seeing the Bumble Bee as a kid and in a museum

[@GregoryTheGr8ster]

I have always been fascinated by mini aircraft. When I heard about ultralights in the early 80s, I wanted one sooo bad.

[@chrisblake1918]

That Bumblebee is AWESOME!!!!!!!

[@doranjaffas9645]

The silver bullet jet is a Bede . I've seen the Bumble Bee up close. Also the Cri Cri also known as Dee Cricket.

[@BillAnt]

At 4:00 the 'Cri-Cri" ... you'll Cry when you see its price tag, and Cry again when you crash it. lol

[@umaryes4473]

What about the bede?

[@BillAnt]

@Sauft Umar < Oh you mean the Be-Dead lol

[@umaryes4473]

@@BillAnt 😂 damn dude chill

[@everybodybeguccified575]

It’s not that expensive

[@z3245861]

I always had a fascination with BD-5's and the Benson gyrocopters.

[@seanmchugh8442]

Just from the photo I was going to comment that the Bumble Bee looks like a purpose-built deathtrap. The video's commentary confirms it.

[@BuceGar]

Good list.

[@diGritz1]

The Goblin is sitting at the Dayton Air force Museum. Very cool little aircraft.

[@1950harleycharley]

Love your videos....Tech Planet!

[@Bloodgod40]

IIRC the Bumble Bee was named because it looks like its wings are too small to fly with. (There's an urban myth that a bumble bee's wings are scientifically too small to fly but it flies anyway.) When you actually look at it though, it's a biplane, so imagine it as a monoplane with wings twice as long... and as well as that, its wings are broad (front to back) so it actually has a lot more wing area than it looks like. Still, I bet it takes a helluva takeoff run to get up.

[@clecopliers7011]

I was actually in on the build of a BD5 in Canada circa 1971. A company still in business had the dealership. The only difference was we constructed the aircraft using solid rivets vs pop rivets that the plans called for. The project was never completed and was sold to a private concern.

[@jacobaubertin645]

You are the most Canadian Canadian that ever Canadianed. lol

[@nicholasproietto2500]

That Lewis and Clark BD-5 jet came to our airport for our yearly airshow several years back. Very small jet. The pilot was a very nice man. I talked with him for a good while.

[@withastickangrywhiteman2822]

4:58, that one had fly across English channel in 2019. so it has proved to be reliable

[@ynotski9]

No 1 BeBe Jet was used in James Bond 007 - For Your Eyes Only 1981.

[@ShawnD1027]

"Bede," as in Jim Bede.

[@christopherweedon6944]

Much like the word ‘sheep,’ the term “aircraft” builds its plural without an -s. The etymology of ‘aircraft’ is not derived from an old word, but it does have a documented (modern) convention. It is because craft is a collective term and Old English Dictionary (OED) mentions that it might be originated as an elliptical expression (that includes nautical vessels). ‘Craft’ itself is used as ‘aircraft’ as well. OED includes the following explanation for the fifth definition of “craft”: V. Applied to boats, ships, and fishing requisites. These uses were probably colloquial with watermen, fishers, and seamen some time before they appeared in print, so that the history is not evidenced; but the expression is probably elliptical. The want in English of any general collective term for all sorts of ‘vessels for water carriage’ naturally made ‘craft’ a useful stop-gap term. For reference [OED]: ‘Craft’ Sense 9. a. collect. (const. as pl.) Vessels or boats. (a) originally only in small craft n. (b) Hence, without small, in same sense; later, in the general sense of vessels of all kinds for water carriage and transport. b. (with a and pl.) A small vessel or boat; any sailing or floating vessel. c. An aircraft or spacecraft. Sense 10. a. collect. Implements used in catching or killing fish; in mod. use chiefly in whale-fishery. ‘Craft’, is a nautical (sea going) word signifying all manner of lines, nets, hooks, &c. which serve for fishing; and because those that use the fishing trade use small vessels, they call all such little vessels ‘small craft’. The harpoons, hand-lances, and boat-spades, are usually called ‘craft’, and the other implements ‘gear’. However, OED mentions that the plural form ‘aircrafts’ is rare and there is one citation where ‘aircrafts’ is used: HIS WORLD-FAMED AIRCRAFTS 1903 Aeronautical Journal 7 81/1 OED also adds that the word can be understood, especially when used in the plural, to include other kinds of heavier-than-air machine, such as helicopters. The word was/in often preferred to the term ‘aeroplane’ or ‘airplane’ in official and military contexts. Ref. this military correspondence directive from WWII: Will you please make the following terminology effective in all British official correspondence: For ‘aeroplane’ the word ‘aircraft’ should be used. 1943 W. S. Churchill Telegram 15 June in Second World War (1952) V. 566

[@q300SBB]

Christopher Weedon correct. That bugged me to.

[@lawrencegenereux8567]

@@q300SBB If he said "aircrafts" one more time, I was gonna' take a hostage.

[@MarkMcCluney]

Enjoyed that mate, thanks for sharing.

[@Tech_Planet]

Thanks for returning and watching again!

[@gusjackson3658]

Thanks for this, good man.

[@0105dimas]

finally not clickbait

[@Gunner1641]

*Talks about how some Japanese creators made the Gen H-4* "But I'm sure someone will copy this build and make their own KAMIKAZE machine" *TRIGGERED*

[@jonskowitz]

Just looking at it I'm guessing that the Bumblebee had the same sort of longitudinal instability that plagued the X85 Goblin

[@darrellcook8253]

I once built a model of the bumblebee and it flew best on its side about a 45 degree angle. Seemed to want to bite itself in the tail. Didn't have any problems landing though it still had the wiggles.

[@craigwall9536]

@@darrellcook8253 Maybe it just needs a co-axial contra-rotating pair of props. lol

[@JFrazer4303]

The Goblin flew just fine. Easy to handle, nimble, with exceptionally easy stall characteristics. Its only problem was docking with the mothership.

[@jamieclumpas8545]

2:40 lol. That's not what traffic monitoring is.

[@MangionMotorsports]

Congrats, you missed the joke

[@Tigerskunk]

I think I still have a RC modeler magazine that showed how to make a RC version of that Bumblebee 2

[@Tech_Planet]

Cool, it would probably be the same size lol

[@dewedg2752]

My F in law used part out airplanes. One he had was a super little plane called Teeny Steeny. It was probably a homebuilt one. But not by him. He was even too afraid to fly it. I've tried to find more info on it. But there isn't anything out there. Wingspan was like 8 feet tops.

[@jtuttle11]

If you want to see a Jet designed by Jim Bede, look up the BD-10.

[@alexcacares6547]

the bumble bee also wins cutest aircraft award

[@sim.frischh9781]

The Cri-Cri is, as far as i know, french and it´s i should be spelled like in "hit", "kick" and "skip" ect. It means "cricket".

[@โชคชัยโฟน-ค6ฌ]

Thanks a lot.

[@juliashenandoah3965]

I´ll take that beautyful Mosquito helicopter, and that futuristic Cavalon gyrocopter please!

[@Bearthedancingman]

Yeah, people talk about a flying car. That gyro is it right there!

[@friedchicken1]

4:00 I thing it's not pronunced Cry cry but "Cree cree" as in Cricket

[@sim.frischh9781]

Dammit, should have checked about others pointing it out... But wouldn´t the ee be too long? More like "i" in "hit" and such words.

[@Cancun771]

It's French, so it's pronounced 'Cree-Cree'.

[@___Chris___]

Johnny Cash: "Cry! Cry! Cry!"

[@Juup2003]

I have actually sat in the smallest propellor aircraft that ever flew

[@Ironbuket]

Did you noticed how many of these aircraft appeared in James Bond movies?

[@denilsson31]

I flew aerobatics with the awesome Cri-cri.

[@dashcostello6667]

The benson B-8 is like any other gyrocopter.

[@JFrazer4303]

You missed the '80s "Little Bird" by Milt Hatfield. Based on the '30s Arup from Indiana, like them it was stall-proof with good speed on little power and 45 degree climb.

[@frog9334]

last I saw #5 is at Pima Air and Space Museum in Arizona.

[@smokeyjoe7251]

BD-5J on static display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona was the one James Bond flew in Octopussy.

[@angr3819]

Thank you

[@johnnykallin30]

Mosguito XE @ 2:40 "It depends on where you live but there are some variants that do not need a license to fly." And where might that be? I live in one of the highest rated places in the world so if I can take flight licenses and get flight hours elsewhere it's always a win win situation.

[@jasongooden917]

The price of a supercar so its one of the most affordable jets... That just goes to show you how expensive jets are.

[@carmelpule6954]

At 3:15 I do not think that aircraft is only 5 ft wing span , it looks about 8 feet at least.

[@ciananmortem3127]

Not trying to nitpick here as it was a great video but the word "airship" equates a rigid framed structure. For reference a Rigid Airship has a full frame, a semi-rigid has a partial frame (Bottom is trussed, top is soft) and a blimp is completely devoid of a frame whereas a balloon is, well, a balloon. So the first would be a balloon, or more specifically, a powered balloon alongside a blimp. Like the video a lot.

[@brandonashmore8674]

I thought #1 would be the aircraft ride you see at the entrance of a grocery store the little kiddies go on.

[@kaitheviking8468]

Havent even watched the video yet but challenge freaking acsepted!!!

[@jcbraka3771]

1:28.- I really gotta have one of this!!!

[@aeb1barfo]

I have a Benson Gyrocopter that the original owner modified and died in. Don't modify things without checking the safety aspects.

[@chaytonruijsenaars3971]

hell i might save up for one of them mini cri cri things, or build one, that looks like alot of fun for cheep

[@streamylc]

"can only fly over water" vs "is only flown over water"

[@logoseven3365]

Mid air refueling killed the Goblin and all other parasitic fighters. Really cool. The USAF museum has one.

[@MrClean417]

And not the end of WWII but after Korea. We didn't have B-36's in WWII and America barely had jet engined aircraft none of which seeing action until the Korean war.

[@angusgebers5376]

The traffic in the mosquito helicopter doesn't monitor roads lol. Its ADS-B traffic.

[@johnnyj540]

I learned to fly on a Benson B-8 that my dad and I built in the early '70s.

[@craigwall9536]

You learned to fly it but you didn't learn how to spell it?

[@gefnaut117]

I’ve seen cri cri take off from the top of a Ford Explorer lol

[@toadman506]

"Traffic Monitoring" in the Aviation world has ZIP to do with Road Traffic/Traffic Jams.

[@doranjaffas9645]

To all of you writing snobbery about his narrating vocabulary...take a breath. Enjoy the video and quiet down.

[@southpark5555]

Bumble Bee 2 is otherwise known as Death Wish 2.

[@thomasolver8942]

Gotta have a big set!!

[@Rodolfo-zd6wv]

and the the tiny micro jet

[@peanuts2105]

This dude sounds like he narrates the "Honey Badger" video. Such a badass.

[@kainicholson6799]

2:36 Haha no they mean Air Traffic. Unless the actually do mean road traffic but that would be fucking useless

[@ebc41sp]

But why U forgot about paragliders? Especially powered paragliders (PPGs) if you are focused on motorized flights.

[@Famous-Potatoes]

The plural of aircraft is . . . . aircraft.

[@bliglum]

Doubt that "Flyboard air" has 1000 hp as stated.. Probably 4 hobby grade turbines, so maybe about 100 hp.

[@thishandlehas3ormorecharacters]

I also doubt that it "only flies over water"...

[@denbecr49]

Adam Odlund Probably meant only certified safe to fly over water.

[@1crzflyer]

it only flies over water because if the pilot falls off he won't die.

[@kylethompson2431]

bliglum each of the engines are 250hp, 250 • 4 = 1000

[@joshhayl7459]

To: Jim Blalock, The Flyboard has a pair of boots very much like ski-boots that are bolted to it and the pilot secures himself into those boots, so he cannot "Fall off".

[@kennethwalker6730]

What about the Valkyri smallest Private aircraft or the USFleetTracking FLS Microjet

[@jpatt1000]

If this is a top ten list, why doesn't it go from small to smallest? And why were the Stits Baby Bird and Sky Baby left out? They should have been grouped near the Bumblebee. That said, the Leopard is one nice looking plane that sounds like it had some good numbers backing it up. It's a wonder it didn't make it to production.

[@joseveintegenario-nisu1928]

Would a Triplane version of 'Bumble Bee', 249 cm wingspan, be able to takeoff and land at 'regular' speeds, and be allowed to run on roads? Blessings +

[@ВладимирБаскаков-с5м]

#2 Flyboard Air - it's a prototype of the Green Goblin's Glider!!!

[@zkxrpyun]

Number 8 can also be named BB-8 ;)

[@TMB247]

Benson B-8... you said you would get back to it ... where did I miss that? It is the most affordable, safest etc on your list

[@LightRealms]

2:51 for those of you who came for the thumbnail

[@davecrupel2817]

That Goblin literaly looks like a chopped off Sabre nose...

[@rushthezeppelin]

Holy shit the clickbait was actually in the video!!

[@Rodolfo-zd6wv]

I NEED THAT GOBLIN

[@tonk9246]

lol bumble bee is always cute :3

[@bitemykrank1970]

The ubiquitous Bede BD-5J......the ONLY aircraft in this list PROVEN to fit UP a horse's ass........Thanks Q !!

[@jeffmullinix7916]

One of my brother friend died in a DB-5 in an Air race . Mechanical

[@panzerabwerkanone]

Hmm no Burt Rutan designs? How about the Quicke? At least it was in production unlike half of your selections that are one-off prototypes.

[@bugoobiga]

too cute - if Hello Kitty had a jet 3:27

[@HarukaChan2468]

WHERE’S THE STRIKER UNIT IN THIS VIDEO???

[@charliebrown4624]

You forgot to mention the Ligetti Stratos.

[@jax1964]

JD Rock. The plural for "aircraft" is "aircraft", not "aircrafts". Just saying FYI. Otherwise enjoyed your video.

[@odomobo]

I feel like paramotors should have been featured on here somehow

[@davecc0000]

Eric the half-a-bee!

[@martincallingham5785]

davecc0000 LP LP

[@blemp3788]

Portotype?

[@holtg007]

French Cri Cri (Pronounced Cre - Cre)

[@brianbickley3236]

Adult

[@belliott538]

I submit the BD-10 as more impressive than the BD-5...

[@owendominguez7216]

I've seen the tiny bumble bee in the AZ air and space museum

[@gbrown3783]

Owen Dominguez me to I live like 30 mins from there

[@denbecr49]

There's one very similar in the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, MI.

[@harrycarlson5144]

Blog Tities

[@harrycarlson5144]

Let’s see some big tites

[@sandyhutton910]

it's not a Cry-cry.... say Cree-Cree and you'll be closer to the mark. It's Cricket!

[@kkfoto]

# 3 should be pronounced "cree-cree" (aka Cricket), not "cry-cry"

[@rafagonera3214]

Ohh i google in some blue plans but i stuck . it would be nice to have some link pdf to print it .

[@zanda677]

I have just restored the CMC Leopard G-BKRL You can find the restoration on Facebook CMC LEOPARD RESTORATION G-BKRL

[@DanFrederiksen]

It can be done much better than the Bede. They all make the mistake is sitting upright. Recline the seat and you have a much more lean craft. Outboard engines also simplify the construction. A jet engine is also super simple so the right mass production and it's dirt cheap. Aviation has missed out enormously.

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

The pilot in the BD-5 is in a semi-reclining position, not upright.

[@ShawnD1027]

"Outboard" as in further out on the wings? You need multiple engines and you also run into adverse yaw in engine-out.

[@DanFrederiksen]

That seems to be insignificant. Maybe 10% reduction in height from straight upright which no one ever uses anyway.

[@DanFrederiksen]

Shawn, no I just mean outside the body. Two on the side of the body rear might be good.

[@ShawnD1027]

Ah, then you mean "podded." The overwhelming majority of commercial aircraft with jet engines have them podded, as was the CMC Leopard here. It's not practical in most cases to use a single podded engine, as you must then go to twin tails, creating a complexity spiral.

[@HBetweenBrackets]

It would be cool if the XF-85 goblin was in war thunder

[@n.b.p9786]

It would probally suck tho

[@brertt8350]

N.B. P it's like the kokibri

[@brianbickley3236]

N.B. P 9 6b b. .

[@n.b.p9786]

many for the april fools event

[@njsullyalex2744]

If only as a joke airplane I think it would be fun to have for sure :)

[@humanmusic]

*not listed in order of size.

[@yakacm]

The Goblin was designed during WW2, err no it wasn't, these aircrafts weren't even thought about until the B-36 was in service and the B-36 didn't fly until after the war, thou they did start designing the B-36 during the war as they needed aircrafts that could bomb Jerry from the US in case Britain, or airstrip 1 as it was know during WW2, fell and then they couldn't flies their aircafts no more, from Britains.

[@vangecruz8600]

That thumbnail plane will fail