Thoughts of gratitude

[MidGenerationAL]

This was about to become a thread hijack so moving it here.

Completion is the goal. We're having success if we are having fun. Building is a long road and it's gotta be fun and exciting. Know what builds joy and what sucks the energy out of the project, man.

Your father picked the Four Alpha design. You gotta make that choice. The Four Alpha is no slouch! It's not inferior. If it meets your desires then embrace it, move on and resist asking that question again. Staying with it could reduce financial stress of building, and really be embraced by your children as an heirloom. "Dad finished Grandpa's Bearhawk out in the barn!" Thats a tale from a storybook!

Don't continue comparing throughout the build. Comparison is a thief that will rob you of joy. If building is fun your building the right aircraft. If financial stress is added by a new kit purchase then don't. You have a treasur trove of content ahead if you focus on the task at hand, the family collaboration of tasking jobs, and the fabricating family tradition.

God made us fabricators in the depths of our souls. Keep building parts, enjoying your craftsmanship with each one so building becomes playtime. you will have more than another completion when its done.

Words of wisdom.

I do feel the family legacy part of it. I grew up tagging along with my father in his shop, watching everything he did, trying to soak it in and learn.
There are not a lot of parts left to make - yesterday I found a box of wing hardware dad made and stashed in the barn 15 years ago. Some of the parts were straightforward but some were so beautifully made it was like seeing dad's signature on them.

Dad is still with us thankfully but this project is like reconnecting back to when I was a kid and he was a magic giant who could make or fix anything.

None of my biological kids were the least bit interested in working in the shop and I thought maybe this legacy going back generations dies with me. But then my adopted daughter started following me out to the shop. By the time she was 12 her science fair project was "Tensile Strength of Hardened vs Annealed vs Untreated TIG Welds"
I swear I did not put her up to this.

I'm not questioning what kind of plane my father started.
Just think about it: my daughter finds out that missionary bush pilots fly, fix their planes, and serve. Her eyes get big and she announces this is her calling. And it just so happens my dad has a partially built bush plane waiting in the barn for someone(s) to come and finish it.
There is obviously some higher intelligence driving this bus because nobody could have planned out this chain of events ahead of time. When dad started this build 15 years ago I thought my wife and I were done having kids and none of them were going to be shop people.
I'm obviously not the author of this story. I'm just grateful to have a part in it.

[rodsmith]

Al, When you complete your father's project you will have no regrets sticking with the 4-place. I have never flown such a nice flying airplane. When I flew with Virgil in his Model 5, I started thinking this would really be nice, a little wider cabin, more useful load, a better location for the flap handle etc. Then I flew mine and realized it flies like the Model 5, just a little more sensitive in pitch. The Riblett airfoil only gains you a couple miles per hour on each end, Bob knew what he was doing with his modification to the NACA 4412. You mentioned in the other thread that maybe a Companion would meet your needs better. When it first came out I thought if starting a new build, that would work for me. But the 4-place with the rear seats removed is just a companion with more cargo carrying ability. Plus after experiencing the take off and climb capability of the IO-540 power, I couldn't go back to a 4-cylinder. Puts a big smile on my face every take off. Depending on what liability insurance may cost, I may end up with only two seats. At this point, that would work for me, would be rare that I would need all four seats. Anyways, I picked the original Bearhawk to build 25 years ago. Today I think it was the perfect choice for me.