The genesis of the BD-10 came about after the Bede BD-5 project in the 1970s, when the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) entered Jim Bede into a consent decree, forbidding him from accepting down payments for aircraft for a period of ten years.
The BD-5's failure was due largely to the unavailability of a suitable engine; during the BD-5's history one engine company after another either exited the engine business or went bankrupt.