Beneš-Mráz Bibi
# Beneš-Mráz Bibi

The Beneš-Mráz Bibi was a 1930s Czechoslovak 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 low-wing cantilever monoplane 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.

## Operational history

One example of the Be-550 Bibi (OK-BET) was imported into the United Kingdom, stored during World War II, then registered as G-AGSR until a fatal crash in 1951.

## 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)

Data from L'Année Aéronautique 1938–1939

General characteristics

* Crew: Two
* Length: 7.31 m (24 ft 0 in)
* Wingspan: 11.51 m (37 ft 9 in)
* Height: 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
* Wing area: 14.0 $m^2$ (151 sq ft)
* Empty weight: 330 kg (728 lb)
* Gross weight: 560 kg (1,235 lb)
* Powerplant: 1 × Walter Mikron II air-cooled 4-cylinder inverted inline engine, 45 kW (60 hp)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 200 km/h (120 mph, 110 kn) at 100 m (330 ft)
* Cruise speed: 175 km/h (109 mph, 94 kn)
* Range: 780 km (480 mi, 420 nmi)
* Service ceiling: 5,200 m (17,100 ft)
* Time to altitude: 6 min 30 s to 1,000 m (3,300 ft)
