Announcement

**Chewie** · 06-01-2024, 01:42 PM

I make no pretense trying to pass this off as relevant, other than to explain why I haven't touched the Bearhawk for the past few weeks. I thought I would post what I've been up to with my son. There's no way I could have pulled this off had it not been for the skills, tools, experience and patience I've gained from scratchbuilding the Patrol.

The best part is that my son and wife are now confident I can finish a project I started.

Answers to some common questions:
oxyacetylene
about 25 mph
6.5 hp, harbor freight
a little tight but fits adults
brake works
no clue where to take it, but we'll figure it out

Thanks for humoring me... Now back to installing nut plates.

**DBeaulieu** · 06-02-2024, 07:08 AM

Put nutplates on horizontal stab (inner rib) for fairing attachment.

horizontal stab nutplates.jpg

**rv8bldr** · 06-03-2024, 03:03 PM

Well, painting has finally started. Temperatures in our part of Canada are now warm enough to work in our unheated hangar. I built up a removable paint booth with giant tarps, floor model fan, furnace filter, and loads of light. I'm using Stewarts and boy-oh-boy has that been a learning experience. I am trying to follow the instructions to the LETTER, but unfortunately between the various versions of their videos on YouTube, as well as their printed instructions, there is some ambiguity on such things as gun pressure, viscosity times, etc. My lower cowl is about the only part that is perfect so far. Everything else has some level of orange peel although you have to be quite close to see it. I've been at this 3 weeks and I have done all of the various covers, intersection fairings, wingtips, horizontals stabs, panel, nose bowl, lower and upper cowl, cargo area rear cover, and the cargo doors. Man, there are a lot of bits and pieces.

Tomorrow I will do the elevators and rudder, then over the next few days the flaps, ailerons, and gear. Next week, wings, and the week after that, the fuselage.

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While watching the paint dry on my hstabs today I decided to make a couple of bolt on tow hooks for the main gear. I'm suspecting that it won't be too many years before I will need to use the John Deere lawn tractor to haul the Bearhawk out of the hangar (I currently use it to pull my Maule back into the hangar as there is a little bit of a slope and it is all grass). I just went to the hardware store and bought a couple of giant eyelets, bent up some scrap 4130 sheet, welded it together and drilled a couple of holes. It was nice to do something other than fill/sand fiberglass or prime/sand/clean/paint.

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**Bcone1381** · 06-03-2024, 04:21 PM

Originally posted by rv8bldr View Post

Well, painting has finally started. Temperatures in our part of Canada are now warm enough to work in our unheated hangar. I built up a removable paint booth with giant tarps, floor model fan, furnace filter, and loads of light. I'm using Stewarts and boy-oh-boy has that been a learning experience. I am trying to follow the instructions to the LETTER, but unfortunately between the various versions of their videos on YouTube, as well as their printed instructions, there is some ambiguity on such things as gun pressure, viscosity times, etc. My lower cowl is about the only part that is perfect so far. Everything else has some level of orange peel although you have to be quite close to see it. I've been at this 3 weeks and I have done all of the various covers, intersection fairings, wingtips, horizontals stabs, panel, nose bowl, lower and upper cowl, cargo area rear cover, and the cargo doors. Man, there are a lot of bits and pieces.

Tomorrow I will do the elevators and rudder, then over the next few days the flaps, ailerons, and gear. Next week, wings, and the week after that, the fuselage.

Stewarts could double their sales if they fixed this issue.

I am attaching a document from Stewarts that my Stewarts mentor passed along to me regarding the ProTek paint gun that replaced the DeVilbiss gun (that they use to sell, but was discontinued, and so all the material talks about that gun.) I followed these instructions to the tee after having orange peel issues. I reached out to my Stewarts Covering instructor/mentor and (now....I never ever painted anything before I painted my airplane. I knew nothing....I just took a class) I am very pleased with my results....no orange peel. No drips.

BTW, Orange peel is often a sign that the paint viscosity it too thick. Add more water to obtain a faster time in your viscosity cup. BTW, I have two guns, the small deVilbiuss one and the Pro-Tek gun. The Pro-Tek gun needed a thinner vicosity.

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**DBeaulieu** · 06-06-2024, 01:20 PM

Received engine from Lycoming today...YIO-360, dual PMAGS, hollow crank. Crate is 44" x 40 " x 35.5" with a total shipping weight of 406 lbs. Took 12 months from ordering thru Mark and receiving on site.

YIO-360 crate.jpg YIO-360 top view.jpg

**jaredyates** · 06-08-2024, 08:58 PM

4 hours of Young Eagles flights, 10 hops with 16 kids. Screenshot_20240608-215349.png

**RickG** · 06-09-2024, 08:11 AM

You guys are outstanding for donating your time and aircraft for a great cause. Thank you!

**rkennell** · 06-12-2024, 07:12 AM

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Working on installing Aero Sun VX lights in wingtip. The mount is for an RV 10. A bit like trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. The NSP light mount didn’t turn out to bad. The masking will come off today. The next challenge will be forming the lens. Suggestions are welcomed.

**rkennell** · 06-12-2024, 12:35 PM

alaskabearhawk I went to the link you put in the comments. The lens really look nice. I agree with you about the difficulty and why it is a road less traveled. Thanks for the log posts.

**DBeaulieu** · 06-13-2024, 06:58 AM

Started in on boot cowl, initial fit and trimming. Didn't anticipate having to pull the main landing gear off to get the side skins on! Overall fairly nice fit with minimal trimming apparent and no issues with the engine mount alignment, etc. Lotta questions coming to you guys though...

Anyone put a removeable panel on boot cowl - somewhere on the side between the yellow tape lines I have in the picture below?

engine mount on firewall.jpg left side boot cowl.jpg right side boot cowl.jpg

**Bcone1381** · 06-13-2024, 07:29 AM

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If you do it like I did on the left you will need a stiffener. I made it from .025 AL 2024. it is not straight. Mine had to conform to a slight bow in the metal.

My entire boot cowl and windshield can be removed with a screw driver by myself alone in the shop. I'm glad I did it this way. Contrast this with a very clean method of installing the windshield to the boot cowl with an epoxy adhesive and laying up a fiberglass fillet. Removal of the windshield will require a new boot cowl. I learned that method at a Sport Air workshop and glad to know it, but its not a method I want for my build....how can I say that without coming across arrogant and condescending....help me. Others that do it that way have a great appearance and no leaks when it rains. Probably quieter too.

I feel that a simple build with no avionics and a brake reservoir on the firewall does not need this (removeable side panels) and is lighter. I'm 60. I build alone in my shop at home. I find that my fabrication decisions are filtered through that lens.....meaning I want it so that I can easily service things alone when I'm 80. It adds time and weight.

**Nev** · 06-13-2024, 02:05 PM

I've got removable side cowls which give access to the standby batteries. I have removed a panel once during maintenance to get better access to the rudder pedals. My windshield can also be removed if necessary. The only section of my boot cowl that is riveted is the top part that the windshield sites on and attaches to the firewall. However I wouldn't say any of it is necessary. If it were all riveted in place the construction would be easier with no real downside.

**DBeaulieu** · 06-14-2024, 07:46 AM

Experiencing some minor boot cowl issues, so made a window template and called it a day while I ponder the problem. My "coach" wanted his supper anyway

window template.jpg

**DBeaulieu** · 06-15-2024, 10:23 PM

More boot cowl work...
boot cowl right side area.jpg tunnel and bottom boot cowl panel.jpg

**rv8bldr** · 06-17-2024, 12:03 PM

Temps and humidity this week preclude any painting (I'm using Stewarts) so I'm picking away at other jobs and ideas. Back when I built my flap handle I knew that I wanted to modify it so I didn't I have to fold my old man body in half to raise and lower the flaps so I added secondary handle. However, in the back of my mind I was thinking about when I retract the flaps and need to hold the button in I am still going to have to reach to the floor.

Well, with too much time on my hands and being tired of the paint thing, I did yet another mod on my flap handle.

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I now can just squeeze the lever and the button is depressed so I can get to the last two flap notches as well as completely lower the flaps. The spring down inside the handle pushes the button back out which returns the lever to neutral. I welded a little short piece of tube to act as a stop so the lever doesn't drop too far.

It seems to work great...on the bench. I'll know more when I get into final assembly in a few weeks and can try it out in situ. The good thing is that if it just doesn't work out, I can take the bolt out, remove the lever, and just cut the little tab off and I'm back to normal.

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