Beneš-Mráz Bibi Explained

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.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.

References

Book: Hirschauer . L . Dollfus . Ch . L'Année Aéronautique 1938–1939 . 1939 . Dunod . Paris . BnF Gallica . 11 December 2019 . French .
Jackson, A.J. (1974). British Civil Aircraft since 1919. Putnam
Němeček, V. (1968). Československá letadla. Praha: Naše Vojsko.
Book: Taylor, Michael J. H. . Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation . 1989 . Studio Editions . London . 152 .
Book: World Aircraft Information Files . Bright Star Publishing. London . File 890 Sheet 25 .

Notes and References

Jackson 1974, p. 358