The Beneš-Mráz Bibi was a 1930s
Czechoslovak
Czechoslovak may refer to:
*A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93)
**First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38)
**Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39)
**Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60)
**Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...
two-seat touring aircraft.
Design and development
The Bibi was designed and manufactured by Beneš-Mráz, developed from the
Beta-Minor design. The Bibi was a lighter, smaller aircraft in which the seats were side-by-side instead of in tandem, and the
cockpits were fully enclosed, retaining the Beta-Minor's
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...
low-wing
cantilever
A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
layout, with fixed
tailwheel undercarriage. Development of the Bibi began with the Be-501 two-seat cabin tourer, and culminated with the Be-555 Super Bibi.
[Jackson 1974, p. 358]
Operational history
One example of the Be-550 Bibi (OK-BET) was imported into the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, stored during World War II, then registered as ''G-AGSR'' until a fatal crash in 1951.
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Variants
;Be-501 Bibi
:Single seat, initial development aircraft for the Bibi cabin tourer.
;Be-502 Bibi
:Single seat development prototype for the Bibi series.
;Be-550 Bibi
:Initial production version introduced in 1936, with at least six built, including single exports to Egypt and the UK.
;Be-555 Super Bibi
:The final iteration of the Bibi with many improvements. Production continued after the start of WWII, with at least ten built.
Specifications (Be-550)
Notes
References
*
*Jackson, A.J. (1974). ''British Civil Aircraft since 1919''. Putnam
* Němeček, V. (1968). ''Československá letadla''. Praha: Naše Vojsko.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Benes-Mraz Bibi
1930s Czechoslovakian sport aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Bibi
Bibi is a given name, nickname and surname.
Notable people with this name As a nickname or stage name
* Bibi Andersson (1935-2019), Swedish actress
* Bibi (artist) (born 1964), French visual artist Fabrice Cahoreau
* Bibi Baskin (born 195 ...
Aircraft first flown in 1936