Well I didn't do it but I had a friend and trusted engineer do it at his shop. I picked up the Bearhawk today after 4 days in the shop for some minor work and a few tweaks.
Notable improvements include a new flap handle that is 6" longer than plans. Cessna abrasion boots on the horizontal stab to try and save the tubing from rocks, a dynamic prop balance, new brake pads and a few other minor tweaks.
The flight home today after picking her up was only 5 min long but it was the first time that I have been able to pull full flap for landing. The original flap handle was too short to have any real leverage to lock in 50deg of flap even at slow speed. The one time I was able to engage full flap prior to this mod it took 2 hands to get them out of the detent. With the longer flap handle pulling flap was a breeze all the way to full flap (50deg). The only thing now is that we'll have to watch the flap speeds a bit closer because of the ease of deployment with the added leverage.
The abrasion boots on the horizontal stab are stock Cessna boots. I had a few nice rock dents in the tubing under the tail feather fabric so opted for the rubber boots after seeing a friend put them on his Maule. They look pretty sweet too.
The dynamic prop balance was a nice treat. As it was the IPS (vibration reading) was 0.1 and after balancing it was brought down to 0.03 and it was a noticeable improvement.
Needless to say I'm really happy with my Bearhawk at the moment and am proud to call her mine. I may not have built it (kudos to those of you that have) but I have made many changes to make her my own.
Notable improvements include a new flap handle that is 6" longer than plans. Cessna abrasion boots on the horizontal stab to try and save the tubing from rocks, a dynamic prop balance, new brake pads and a few other minor tweaks.
The flight home today after picking her up was only 5 min long but it was the first time that I have been able to pull full flap for landing. The original flap handle was too short to have any real leverage to lock in 50deg of flap even at slow speed. The one time I was able to engage full flap prior to this mod it took 2 hands to get them out of the detent. With the longer flap handle pulling flap was a breeze all the way to full flap (50deg). The only thing now is that we'll have to watch the flap speeds a bit closer because of the ease of deployment with the added leverage.
The abrasion boots on the horizontal stab are stock Cessna boots. I had a few nice rock dents in the tubing under the tail feather fabric so opted for the rubber boots after seeing a friend put them on his Maule. They look pretty sweet too.
The dynamic prop balance was a nice treat. As it was the IPS (vibration reading) was 0.1 and after balancing it was brought down to 0.03 and it was a noticeable improvement.
Needless to say I'm really happy with my Bearhawk at the moment and am proud to call her mine. I may not have built it (kudos to those of you that have) but I have made many changes to make her my own.
Comment