Six seat BH working out?

[brianacooper11]

Curious to know whether folks who built a BH with more than 4 seats still like the concept once they're done building and are using the airplane. Yay or nay?

Thanks,
Brian Cooper

[Battson]

Mine is modified for a third row, but have yet to use it. The seat base and it's fittings in the fuselage have been made, but the seat is not upholstered. I expect to start using them once our family grows larger.

Safe to say there's not enough headroom for a 6 foot tall man back there, nor width for two typical adult men to sit side by side. You would fit two children or lightly built women just fine, but their view is pretty rubbish without custom windows. I am not sure if any pilots of flying BH's with 6 seats are on this forum - I can only think of the 2 in the Bearhawk Aircraft Photos area, and I dont think they were active on the Yahoo group.

I would also be keen to hear from anyone who has been using a 3rd row of seats.


Dave Roberts




Jan Gutwein

[Mark Moyle]

The pics look like they are of Dave Roberts Bearhawk. When Marv and I visited Dave and his family in eastern Montana in late July his third seat was discussed. Dave said his third seat worked well when his children were small. Has now removed the seat....kids to big for the seat. Dave's Bearhawk is a kick in the pants! Mark M. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Battson]

It looks to me like the seat bottom is quite high in Dave's case, which would REALLY limit the headroom. With a setup like Jan's, with a low seat pan, my Mrs would easily fit back there quite comfortably. I'd guess about 5'8" or 5'10" is the limit.

[wingnut13]

I would like to think that my kids would still be young enough that we could all go for a ride when my BH is done. However I have a feeling that won't happen. . . ..

[jaredyates]

If you put a seat there, then you won't have room for much else. I can't imagine that I'd be able to go far with small children and not bring a bunch of stuff. Perhaps the occasional trip around the patch? Adding a window to the rear cargo door would be easy, but adding one to the left side would require some welding and fabrication.

[Battson]

With 2 80lb children in the middle seat and 1 in the back seat you can still load upto 60lbs of baggage in the baggage tube, or beside them in the third row, without putting the CG ouside limits. I've got a spreadsheet which does the calculations quickly for me, and avoids mistakes.
After talking it through, we installed quite a large baggage tube that would take about 4 backpacks or two duffle bags, in case we needed volume (obviously without exceeding the weight limit).
The Bearhawk is the ultimate load hauler in it's class, I reckon.

[Dave Roberts]

Thought I would make a comment. The fifth seat worked quite well. It was 15" wide so we could put luggage beside it. We had no problem going away for a couple nights. By the time my kids outgrew the headroom they were out of legroom. Also by then we were cutting back on fuel and baggage. It was nice to have when we all fit.

Dave

[TrueAirSpeed]

I've got a third seat for sale, if anyone is interested. Terry

[brianacooper11]

Thanks for the replies folks. I'm not exactly anticipating Cherokee Six-like qualities, but with one child, another in the oven and more anticipated, I'm thinking I'm going to want that third row. I really wanted to know if folks were finding the airplane practical in that configuration.

[Battson]

I see Dave Roberts is on the forum now, maybe he can offer some first-hand experience?

[CRAZEDpilot]

Hi guys, Kitfox owner here looking forward towards our first child, and looking to expand. If I purchased a used and completed Bearhawk, what are the steps to legalize the addition of the 5th seat to an existing Experimental? Would there be issues with your insurance company? Your insight is appreciated!

[Battson]

Yes, the insurer will want to know, it's likely to increase the annual payments a little.
Over here it can be a hassle getting it re-certified, if you're not already certified for more than 4 persons aboard, but I think it may be more relaxed in the States.

The other point worth adding to this discussion, is with full size adults in all the other seats (and depending on the individual W&B) the most you could put in the third row would be about 70lbs...... which is somewhat less useful. I tend to hit balance limits long before the weight gets near the maximum.

[whee]

A third row is something I have determined I will need in the next aircraft that I own. I think it can work in a BH but careful consideration must be given to how you intend to use the plane. Camping with 3 kids and a wife in a BH is going to be tough unless you have a belly pod. I took my wife and 2 kids camping and the BH we were in was stuffed to the gills; we did not pack light because there was snow. It made me step back and think about if a BH was a suitable 5 place aircraft for the way I intend to use it. I decided that I have the ability to build a belly pod and the BH has the performance necessary to make it work.

[Gerhard Rieger]

I also plan to build a cargo pod, not for the same reason as you but it will move the cg forward on heavy loads and you will have a much better loaded aircraft

[brianacooper11]

My wife is allergic to anything involving direct contact with "green things", so the intent isn't to take six people camping. My intent, in considering the third row, is to have a way to let everyone (1 child, 1 on the way, and more to come) come along when we go flying, even if it's in the local area. Inclusiveness of the whole family is a key thing for my wife, and a key thing for her going along with my airplane-ish ways.

My intended missions for the aircraft are: 1) local flights with the whole family, 2) cross country flights with "civilization" at the destination, and 3) bombing around with myself and a buddy when I'm authorized to act independently . I suspect the Bearhawk fits the bill.

By the way, "whee", that picture is priceless. I've been staring at it for a while. Sleeping children are so wonderful, and in a Bearhawk, well that's just sublime...

Brian