2015.11.69

Model BD-4
The Burgess Company Burgess Dunne Model BD-4 was a swept wing tailless pusher biplane. It was a prototype model built as a military type demonstrator similar in design and specifications to the BD-3 and BD-5 Models built for the U.S. Army and Navy. There was one built.

This military model had special modifications including an armor protected fuselage and mounting of a light machine gun. It was powered by a Gyro 110 hp rotary engine or optionally a Salmson 9 cyl 135 hp radial engine.

This model became known as the "Russian Burgess-Dunne" after a visit to Marblehead by Gaston, Williams and Wigmore of New York, a firm that was known to represent the Russian Czarist government and other European countries. They and other buyer's agents discussed with Burgess military aircraft types on their client's want lists. During the period of January through March of 1915 there were recurring reports in the local newspapers and national aviation magazines of a series of these visits to the Burgess Company by agents of European clients but no apparent sales were made. A number of photos of this aircraft were published in the local press along with rather assumptive press statements in regard to large contracts pending. Burgess used the attention and related publicity as an opportunity to provide press releases, aircraft photos and to express interest in obtaining contracts and highlight their capability to provide aircraft quickly to European countries and to the United States military and naval services.