Bartos developed the BN-1 using the fuselage from a Laister-Kauffman TG-4 and designing new wings. The fuselage was highly modified to include an all-flying T-tail and new cockpit canopy. The wings have a 91NaN1 greater span than the TG-4 using a NACA 44-series airfoil. The new wing uses top-surface spoilers in place of flaps. The new wing results in a glide ratio improved from 22:1 to 25:1.
The fuselage is made from steel tube, while the wings are of wooden construction, all finished with doped aircraft fabric covering. The landing gear is a fixed monowheel, supplemented by a nose skid.
In 1983 it was reported that the sole example had been based at El Mirage, California since it was new and was regularly flown. By April 2011 the aircraft had been de-registered by the Federal Aviation Administration.