BK Fliers BK-1

The Bk-1 was designed and built by Bruce King in 2004 after building a modified Hummel Bird. It was patterned after the Hummel Bird, with a full VW engine and larger cockpit and surfaces.^[1][2]

The BK-1 is an all-aluminum, monocoque/semi-monocoque, single-engine, low-wing airplane, with either conventional or tricycle landing gear. The BK-1.3 is a modified version, 30% larger than the original, with full-span flaperons.^[2]

• BK-1: Original version, originally with conventional landing gear
• BK-1.3: 30%-larger version, originally with tricycle gear^[2]

Data from Manufacturer^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
• Wingspan: 19 ft 4 in (5.89 m)
• Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
• Empty weight: 450 lb (204 kg)
• Gross weight: 850 lb (386 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 15 U.S. gallons (57 L; 12 imp gal)
• Powerplant: 1 × VW Great Plains Aircraft Supply Company Volkswagen air-cooled engine, 60 hp (45 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 126 kn (145 mph, 233 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 110 kn (130 mph, 210 km/h)
• Stall speed: 38 kn (44 mph, 71 km/h) Flaperons deployed
• Rate of climb: 750 ft/min (3.8 m/s)

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Parker Jeanie's Teenie
• Sonex Aircraft Onex
• Hummel Bird
• Thatcher CX4

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BK Fliers BK-1.

• "BK1 Around the Pattern," (builder's demo flight video of conventional-gear BK-1), January 24, 2007, bkfliers.com
• "Building a Plane from Scratch," (news video: interview with BK-1 designer Bruce King and video of his tricycle-gear plane in demo flight), July 16, 2013, KSAT news
• BK Flier builder group