wing performance patrol vs. bearhawk

[fairchild]

I think I want to build the 4 place- can someone compare/contrast the effect of the 2 different airfoils on the pilot's perception of how the two aircraft handle ?
I think side by side seating would be more friendly for a passenger and/or dual instruction....... not to mention hauling lots of stuff in the back !
Any thoughts ?
Tim

[jaredyates]

The Riblett airfoil seems to have less pitching moment, which makes the Patrol need less elevator trim input throughout the speed envelope. This is probably an almost insignificant difference. Perhaps a more significant difference would be the reduced drag of the Riblett, which shows up in the high cruise speed of the Patrol. Having had a chance to ride in both but having most of my experience in the 4-place, I'd say that I prefer the tandem seating for the passenger/student/instructor experience, unless the other occupant is a date. The tandem arrangement has much more elbow room, and you both get a full view out of both sides. As you say though, a "front seat only" 4-place is quite a hauler. A few days ago I loaded up a 6-foot fold-in-half table, two ez-up tents, and an 18-gallon tote full of Bearhawk hats and shirts, and I still had room for probably two more of the totes and another 1-foot across the top of all of that. I was delivering all of those things to a neighboring airport to put them into a truck for the trip to Oshkosh.