The year was 1973 and the scene was the 21 st EAA convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Among the hordes of modern light aircraft on show, one design really stood out: the remarkable Bede BD-5J. Alongside its piston-powered BD-5A stablemate, this extraordinary newcomer was the talk of the event, a profile only further raised by the sensational, rocketing demonstrations it gave. Equally impressive as those performances was the fact that - piloted by Bede Aircraft's ChiefTest Pilot, Lester Berven - the BD-5J had only just made its first flight, on July 20, 1973. To the homebuilders present, Berven's sensational displays surely pointed to an exciting future of wallet-friendly, high-performance jet ownership and operation. In reality, the BD-5Js planned development was hampered by several factors and, subsequently, only a very limited number were ever built. Even so, the BD-5J remains an iconic jet and one given extensive exposure well outside the aviation sphere. Awarded a long-term Guinness Book of Records listing as the Smallest Jet Aircraft, it shot to fame in 1983 when used as Roger Moore's sprightly getaway platform in the James Bond film Octopussy. A worthy tribute to the BD-5J's enduring nature is that, more than four decades post-conception, the aircraft is getting a new lease of life, albeit without its original designer's direct input.
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