BedeCorp Airplane BD-4C All-Aluminum Bede BedeCorp Scam Ripoff Medina Ohio

November 3 2009, from Michael of Colorado Springs, the writer of the original report. In a simplified condensed form:

I am not going to let this deal hide in history, forgotten due to negligence. The public has the right to know how some "dealers" treat their customers.

This "deal" has been closed, not settled to anyone's satisfaction, 46 months after I purchased a "complete" kit. I paid way too much for what I did receive, and spent even more to get what should have been delivered. Overall, I will never, ever recommend this kit to anyone, used or otherwise. I wish I had never heard of Bede.

I have spent over $15,000 in attorney fees trying to get the parts of a "complete kit" that Bede agreed to deliver, per a written legal and binding contact, signed on January 13, 2006.

I still do not have all my parts: still no .025 inch wingskins at all. They will cost almost $1,000 before I see them. I have to purchase a whole new set of epoxy to the tune of $2,000. Some parts are grossly overpriced. Example: I paid over $850 for the flimsy cowling nosebowl (finally received in November of 2008, almost 34 months after kit purchase in full.) Aircraft Spruce sells near-identical nosebowls for under $98. That is not a typo error. Bede's price was over eight times what Aircraft Spruce sells for the same item. A few other parts are grossly overpriced as well.

Bits and pieces showed up during the 2008 year from some distributing company, not from BedeCorp. I ruled out Bede's claim of "revitalized quality control". I still have rusted steel parts. Bede says I should clean them with steel wool. He refused to take them back because they are "used". The parts are still in their original sealed plastic sleeve.

I expected basic welded steel parts to arrive. They did not. With this "kit", I have to hire a welder to assemble selected parts. Very disappointing.

I noted in this "complete kit" that there were no pieces of seatbelt and shoulder harness whatsoever. When was the last time anyone had an airplane pass FAA inspection without seatbelts and shoulder harness?

That so-called Bill of Materials contained many "typo errors" as claimed by Bede. As such, he made up material revisions on-the-fly without my agreement. Legal contracts do not allow this behavior.

Bede's book has not been updated since the 1970's. Maybe it was acceptable 35 years ago. A builder must look for recommended improvements posted on the Internet by past builders. Modern kit suppliers provide current and up-to-date builder manuals with their kits that they deliver in only eight weeks or so.

This "deal" was the very worst financial fiasco I have ever encountered. I gave up hope getting the right parts a long time ago.  If you want to see the string of legal correspondence generated in this matter, open a search on Medina County Clerk of Courts. A few more screens later, search on "Bede". Someplace in that listing of cases you will find my name as a plaintiff. The listings are all publicly available for review, posted by the court clerks.

There is nothing more to add, other than review the exchange of comments posted in April 2007 of a BD-4 builder's forum site. My name and phone number can be found there. Anyone is welcome to call me if they want more information. Or they can contact the president of EAA Chapter 72. Find it on the Internet. Ask the president to relay your phone number and I will call you back.

Note that Bede has never responded to my original posting. He knows it exists; he demanded I remove this posting from RipoffReport.com. I did not even try. I noted that Bede never responded to EAA HQ's inquiry about this matter as well.

If you have to purchase a kit from Bede, I truly hope you enjoy it more than I did with my experience.

Michael from Colorado Springs

I have looked at the posting from the guy in Colorado Springs who filed a complaint against BedeCorp and James Bede. The original complaint from Michael and some responses from James Bede have been posted to http://lists.bd-4.org/private.cgi/bd4-bd-4.org/ in April 2007. I have seen the same complaint listed here at RipoffReport. If you have not seen them and are interested in what Bede sells, you'd better read the April 2007 posting.

My question to both Michael of Colorado Springs and James Bede: What is the update? Has this been settled? Michael - Are you still missing parts? If so, what? Michael's e-mail address is included in the April 2007 posting. Maybe he will answer if someone writes to him.

Anyone can search the Internet to see the fate of the BD-5 and BD-10. Read the Wikipedia pages about the BD-10. Bede has a long reputation from the buyers of the BD-5 (and did not get their kits) about not telling the truth; Bede tells what he wants you to believe. What Bede says about the BD-10 and what the Wikipedia pages say about the BD-10 are very different. (Bede: too expensive to operate. Wikipedia: crashes and pilots were killed.) I believe public postings reviewed by many before accepting words from Bede.

Bede has a plane as AirVenture this year. It did not fly in; it was trailered in. "Paperwork issues" Bede claims. Bede's claim from months ago said it was going to fly in. It obviously has not been deemed airworthy by the FAA. It is clear that Bede is trying to sell kits. If Bede can not deliver parts to one paid-up-front customer or make his own build fly, I would never believe that he will deliver parts for any more future customers.

Michael says he is took the matter to court. I looked up where Medina, Ohio was. Court cases are probably filed in the county court system. Until I and other readers know if Michael's problems have been settled, I am not buying anything from Bede. Nor recommend anyone else do the same.

Michael - UPDATE please! Did you get what Bede owes you?
James Bede - UPDATE please! Did you deliver everything? I go to airshows and hardly ever see any BD-anythings. I see lots of other planes.

I have looked at the posting from the guy in Colorado Springs who filed a complaint against BedeCorp and James Bede. The original complaint from Michael and some responses from James Bede have been posted to http://lists.bd-4.org/private.cgi/bd4-bd-4.org/ in April 2007. I have seen the same complaint listed here at RipoffReport. If you have not seen them and are interested in what Bede sells, you'd better read the April 2007 posting.

My question to both Michael of Colorado Springs and James Bede: What is the update? Has this been settled? Michael - Are you still missing parts? If so, what? Michael's e-mail address is included in the April 2007 posting. Maybe he will answer if someone writes to him.

Anyone can search the Internet to see the fate of the BD-5 and BD-10. Read the Wikipedia pages about the BD-10. Bede has a long reputation from the buyers of the BD-5 (and did not get their kits) about not telling the truth; Bede tells what he wants you to believe. What Bede says about the BD-10 and what the Wikipedia pages say about the BD-10 are very different. (Bede: too expensive to operate. Wikipedia: crashes and pilots were killed.) I believe public postings reviewed by many before accepting words from Bede.

Bede has a plane as AirVenture this year. It did not fly in; it was trailered in. "Paperwork issues" Bede claims. Bede's claim from months ago said it was going to fly in. It obviously has not been deemed airworthy by the FAA. It is clear that Bede is trying to sell kits. If Bede can not deliver parts to one paid-up-front customer or make his own build fly, I would never believe that he will deliver parts for any more future customers.

Michael says he is took the matter to court. I looked up where Medina, Ohio was. Court cases are probably filed in the county court system. Until I and other readers know if Michael's problems have been settled, I am not buying anything from Bede. Nor recommend anyone else do the same.

Michael - UPDATE please! Did you get what Bede owes you?
James Bede - UPDATE please! Did you deliver everything? I go to airshows and hardly ever see any BD-anythings. I see lots of other planes.