Bigger Bearhawk, a.k.a. "Expedition"

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Post some photos Chris, keen to see what the wings look like..

There's a thread in the Patrol Scratch Build section called "Having a Rib Party" that I've been updating fairly regularly with progress to date. Feel free to give it a gander!

[Battson]

Best of luck - I would love to see this plane completed.

As you no doubt know already, many failed scratch-builds stall after the ribs are completed but before the wings are fully assembled. Mocking up the spar and ribs into a wing seems too big of a task for many. I wish you luck in passing that milestone.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Thank you, sir. We're doing the math on the spars right now. The Bearhawk wing, regardless of size, is certainly a monumental task. The spars are definitely among the highest-stress piece of the puzzle.

[Denali]

Amazing project..wow... I have a question about dorsal fin changes/design

http://www.flysouth.co.za/images_gen...man_dorsal.jpg

Semi-lurker here. Since there is so much aeronautical expertise here, and with forum discussions on increased wingspan and adverse yaw, I was just curious about something. I read this article titled

“Dorsal Fins and Empenage Options – Some Thoughts”

" A dorsal fin is an extension in front of the vertical tail stretching along the fuselage with a sweep angle higher than that of the vertical tail. A vertical tail needs to cope with high side slip angles in order to protect the aircraft. A dorsal fin can help to in-crease the stall angle of the isolated vertical tail. Vertical tails with low leading edge sweep benefit from an addition of a dorsal fin. The dorsal fin leading edge sweep is typically around 72 ÌŠfor jet and 75 ÌŠ for propeller aircraft."

http://www.fzt.haw-hamburg.de/pers/S...g_13-04-15.pdf

Has anyone ever computer modeled or actually modified a BH empenage with dorsal fin changes. The idea of a 4 place BearHawk XL model with all the already listed mods is kind of intriguing. Maybe at the speeds of a BH dorsal fin changes are not even a consideration? Like I said, I was just curious and maybe someone can clue me in.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

I've never heard anyone complaining about a "lack of tail" on the Bearhawk, so I'm not sure it's been on anyone's mind. I've only flown in one, not piloted one myself, so I'm not in a position to comment. The one or two Bearhawks that are on floats -- where one might see a dorsal addition -- have commented that it wasn't necessary, if I recall correctly.

[Chris In Milwaukee]

You might consider starting a new thread with this question, if you seek an answer. That way it won't be buried way down here :-)

[Denali]

Chris In Milwaukee

I was more curious than anything else. . I am not building a BH, and do not have the skill set or temperament to do so. I do love the plane though. It's beautiful.