Visiting Bearhawk this week.

[TJ_Slice]

Thursday morning, I am going to hit the road at 5am for a day trip to Bearhawk.

I have a list of question I plan on asking.

I'll post an update when I get back home, but if anyone has any questions they would like me to ask, I'm all ears.

[Have-Purple]

Ask about any carbon fiber parts we should be holding out for. I'm thinking specifically about wing tips. Floorboards etc? Also status of QB Seaplane door mod from factory.

I've got a December time slot and my Nicopress 64-cgmp along with a ton of other tools have started to arrive.



Matt
435XP

[TJ_Slice]

I bet the last 3 months will be the hardest wait. I will ask about the carbon fiber parts. It's actually already on my list.

[TJ_Slice]

I had a great visit with Virgil at Bearhawk. It was a long day, about a 4 hour, 20 minute drive each way, and an additional 90 minutes while there. It was well worth it!

At the end, I placed my deposit for a Bearhawk 4! Tentative delivery of the kit looks like will be October 2025. It's going to be long year wait.

I took a flight in Virgil's 5, and it is a beast! I knew it was a big airplane, but the pictures and videos are deceiving. It is bigger in person.

We didn't go over any of the options that I plan on ordering. By the time we get to ordering them (about 3 months before delivery), there should be several more options available.

Disclaimer: The rest is from my old guy failing memory. I was so excited on the drive home, that I could hardly see straight. I'm surprised I made it one piece. Half of what we discussed has already evaporated from my memory, so this is not official:

I asked about the carbon fiber wing tips, and they are working on them. He mentioned that the 5 will be first, and the others will follow. It sounds as if they are going to make pre-formed Kydex panels for the interior available as an option as some point. The landing light kit places the lights inboard of the wingtips.

The electrical system option includes Vertical Power.

The aux fuel tanks option is factory installed if you purchase them. There is a fuel pump on each side that pumps the fuel into the respective main tank. Once you burn out enough fuel in the main tanks, you turn on the transfer pumps to move the fuel from the aux tanks.

They are lots of little things too. The skylights have been changed. Things like ELT brackets, and other small brackets are made up and included.

Overall, I am very impressed with everything they have done with Bearhawk. If I were a betting man, I'd wager that you will see a lot more Bearhawks around in 10 years.

[DBeaulieu]

Good to hear...all positive stuff!

[TJ_Slice]

Yes, I'm sure there is more that I forgot too.

[U2fletch]

Virgil also mentioned when we were there that the most fabrication phone calls they receive regard the boot cowl/cowling fabrication. They are moving towards a composite cowling to simplify that whole process.

[TJ_Slice]

Virgil also mentioned when we were there that the most fabrication phone calls they receive regard the boot cowl/cowling fabrication. They are moving towards a composite cowling to simplify that whole process.

I forgot that one. I hope it's available when I finalize my options.

[500AGL]

I forgot that one. I hope it's available when I finalize my options.

I would enjoy a composite cowl very much.

That said bear in mind that “moving towards” and “in production” are two different ends of a spectrum.

Even when experienced with them, shaping and building plugs, and then molds, and then production quality parts doesn’t happen in the length of a Mike Patey video. And what you don’t want is to be building 50 or 100 “one-off’s” a year.

If you noticed in the other thread about the guy that built N22HD and used an RV-7 cowl by extensively modifying it to fit a patrol. He told me two things on the phone. It wasn’t worth it and he would not do it again.

lol…. Which of course makes me want to do it.

My point here is yes eventually it will happen, but don’t expect it on your build. If it happens you’ll be even happier, but if not you won’t be disappointed.

The laundry list of small and incremental changes and improvements are many and a composite cowl is a bigger undertaking.

pb

[jaredyates]

There is a lot to like about the current cowl. You can, as many of us have, build a very good and reliable cowl with the lowest possible weight, if a new composite design is not yet available.

[gregc]

I admit that a composite cowl would be an attractive option. I also think there is value in developing the sheet metal skills necessary to build one in aluminum. I guess it depends on your goals. One of the things I like about Bearhawk is that it not a Carbon Cub/Vans type kit where every aspect is already worked out.

[TJ_Slice]

All good points. My goal is to build a dependable airplane that I can fly until I can no longer fly. Hopefully that is 20+ years away. This will likely be the only airplane I will ever build.

I plan on going the overhauled IO-540 route. Virgil did say he recommends a cowl flap (I am in Texas). I think that would be an easier task, at least for me, to build from sheet metal.