Blume Bl.502
# Blume Bl.502

The Blume Bl.500, Bl.502, and Bl.503 were a family of four-seat light aircraft designed in West Germany by Dr Walter Blume in the late 1950s.

## Design and development

Derived from his Arado Ar 79, the basic design shared by all models was that of a conventional low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and all-metal construction. The Bl.500 prototype was built for Blume at the Focke-Wulf plant and was powered by a Lycoming O-320 engine of 112 kW (150 hp). This led to a modified version, the Bl.502 that achieved German type certification and was offered for sale alongside the generally similar Bl.503 with a more powerful engine. However, no orders were forthcoming and Blume abandoned the project.

## Operational history

The final example of the design, the Blume Bl.503 was still active in 1965.

## Variants

### Bl.500

    prototype

### Bl.502

    intended production version with Lycoming O-320

### Bl.503

    proposed production version with Lycoming O-360. A single example was completed.

## Specifications (Bl.502)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1961–62

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Capacity: 3 passengers
* Length: 8.15 m (26 ft 9 in)
* Wingspan: 10.50 m (34 ft 5 in)
* Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
* Wing area: 15.0 $m^2$ (161 sq ft)
* Aspect ratio: 7.35:1
* Empty weight: 670 kg (1,477 lb)
* Gross weight: 1,120 kg (2,469 lb)
* Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming O-320 air-cooled flat-four engine, 110 kW (150 hp)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 250 km/h (160 mph, 130 kn)
* Cruise speed: 220 km/h (140 mph, 120 kn) (70% power)
* Range: 900 km (560 mi, 490 nmi)
* Endurance: 4.1 hr
* Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,700 ft)
* Rate of climb: 5.11 m/s (1,005 ft/min)
* Takeoff distance to 15 m (50 ft): 375 m (1,230 ft)
