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Ski's and attach fittings

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  • Ski's and attach fittings

    Hi All, any words of experience from Bearhawks on skis as to the attach point for the tension springs? I looked back at Chris's post regarding the Aero ski 2800's on the maule and it looks pretty good. My only ski experience is with the 185 and the spring attach points up on the boot cowl. I get the idea and see the benefit to that but is it OK to just attach it to the front gear attach fitting? or is it too much side load to be effective? Any pics of installs would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

  • #2
    Maybe helpful: https://bearhawkforums.com/forum/bea...225-datum-skis
    Scratch Built 4-place Bearhawk. Continental IO-360, 88" C203 McCauley prop.

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    • #3
      Great, thx Whee. I think I will stick with Wheel replacements. I like the way these are mounted up at the boot cowl, motor mount area. A lot less stress on things.

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      • #4
        Mike, there is a new Patrol in Alaska from our kit flying on skis. I heard yesterday he was up to 21 hours. I can put you in touch with the owner as he is not on the forum.

        For whatever its worth - he absolutely loves his Patrol. 180 HP w/ Hartzell Trailblazer. He had been flying a Pacer. His comment was "I don't think most pilots even know that it is possible a plane can perform like this". or something like that. Mark

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        • Phil
          Phil commented
          Editing a comment
          Mark, I'd also be interested in meeting another Alaskan Patrol Builder.

      • #5
        Originally posted by Isilverone View Post
        Hi All, any words of experience from Bearhawks on skis as to the attach point for the tension springs? I looked back at Chris's post regarding the Aero ski 2800's on the maule and it looks pretty good. My only ski experience is with the 185 and the spring attach points up on the boot cowl. I get the idea and see the benefit to that but is it OK to just attach it to the front gear attach fitting? or is it too much side load to be effective? Any pics of installs would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
        One thing to note about the AeroSkis -- we recently found this out in the Maule community -- if you're using the optional axle sleeve that was recommended by Bob a while back after Smokey's side-loading incident, the ski's stub axle insert won't fit. There are some folks having similar problems with the Alaska Bushwheel extended HD gear which has a similar axle sleeve. So keep that in mind as you look at your ski options.
        Christopher Owens
        Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
        Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
        Germantown, Wisconsin, USA

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        • #6
          Ok, thx Chris. Is there a better straight ski option your aware of?

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          • #7
            Originally posted by Isilverone View Post
            Ok, thx Chris. Is there a better straight ski option your aware of?
            I'm not sure of the cost but Randy at carbon concepts is making 3000s for a bunch of cubs.

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            • #8
              For experimental straight skis, the Carbon Concept skis mentioned above are sexy. I'm not sure about the AeroSki straight models. I've only got experience with the retractable wheel skis.
              Christopher Owens
              Bearhawk 4-Place Scratch Built, Plans 991
              Bearhawk Patrol Scratch Built, Plans P313
              Germantown, Wisconsin, USA

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              • #9
                We are flying a straight set of Federal 2500's. We made a a short heavy sleeve with a triangular plate welded to it for the frond bungee attach. We use a longer bolt on the gear leg to hold the front attachment point. There is a triangular plate on the back of our step for the rear cable stop. We used a tube that extends front and aft of the gear leg so we have something solid to stand on. The front and back are angle cut upwards and sealed. We have sturdy bushings in the gear legs and the step tubes. The engine is an Continental I0-360 and is off the ground in 8 seconds or less depending on the snow. We are flying off the first 25 hours and there is miles of lake in all directions with 30" of ice so there is some comfort for landing options. We were looking for 3000's as it is nicer to have more lift in the powder but the 2500's were available at a reasonable cost. Straight skis are simple if a person can live with them. Our flying club is a water base club so we have fuel and members have shacks & plug ins at their ramps. The club maintains a runway at the club so it is handy. We have a set of 26" tires for summer. If a person is considering skis the axle should be a bit longer to accommodate the wider hub on the skis easier.

                Glenn
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                • Glenn Patterson
                  Glenn Patterson commented
                  Editing a comment
                  We welded the spacer on the inside to set the wheel position. In hindsight if we had left it loose then we could swap in a narrower bushing to give slightly more working room for the ski hub. Leaving the bushing loose would give more flexibility.

              • #10
                Glen, We all would love a full report on your bird....weight, performance, photos of the interior, and FWF, what you like and what you might do differently. Would you consider writing up a report and posting it on "Completed Flying Bearhawks" section of this site?
                Brooks Cone
                Southeast Michigan
                Patrol #303, Kit build

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                • #11
                  Hi Brooks. Thanks. I will check out the completed section & look at doing a report. We have 16 hours flown off of the 25 hours required to apply for the permanent C of A (Canada).

                  It would be good to put some information for others especially if someone is considering a Continental IO-360. We are the 2nd or 3rd that I know of. Whee will soon have his Bearhawk with a Continental IO-360 in the air so there is more experience to add with the engine. We added the Hall Brothers vortex generators to the top of the wing and under the tail following the Ron Jones BH. Both pilots flying the airplane are happy with its low speed handling and how it flies in general. The support from fellow builders, Bob Barrows, Mark Goldberg, the manuals authors, and our engine guru Neil Bacskia has been invaluable. Really pleased to finally be done and have it flying.

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                  • Mark Goldberg
                    Mark Goldberg commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Just an FYI on the VG's on Ron Jones BH. Ron used a 3 blade metal prop which makes the empty weight CG way too forward. He placed the VG's on the tail for more control authority because the forward CG limits elevator control. When asked, we always discourage a 3 blade metal prop on the front of a 540 powered BH for this reason. Mark

                • #12
                  Mark. Thanks. Our CG limits are really good. My partners wanted to add the VG's to add more tail authority based on some BH low speed experiences and to have the general benefits of the VG's. The Hall Bros VG's were less than $200. It seemed like a reasonable investment if it kept the tail authority at low speeds and a bonus if it reduced the landing speeds. Our test pilot was impressed with the low speed handling and the way the airplane flew. On his first landing he coasted down most of the field before he touched down and said it just wanted to keep flying. The engine is a Continental IO-360 with an 82" McCauley C203 variable pitch prop. It is about 90 lbs lighter than a 540. the CG's are good. The partner flying the hours off is really happy with the way the airplane flies which is good. It would be a lot of work to be unhappy.

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                  • #13
                    I ended up purchasing a set of the new "Bigfoot" straight skis from Randy at Carbon Concepts in Alaska. These things are incredible. apex 82" long and 21" wide and weigh in at 33lbs each. Heres a picture of them, unfortunately our snow vanished too soon to try them out this year

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