Flap hinge position

[Nev]

Just curious, I was viewing the video of John McCardle's new BH (love the paint job !).
Has the flap hinge position been lowered?

[whee]

I wondered the same thing. Looks like the hinge is a couple inches lower than the plans which I think would be beneficial. It would be interesting to know the details and any data backing up apparent improvements.

IMG_6899.png

[Nev]

Yes, I'm curious to know if there is a reduction in fuselage pitch angle (and therefore visibility) on approach.

[Bearhawk Aircraft]

Hey guys,
Nev you have a pretty good eye there. We worked with John to do some prototyping and get some data as to how the wing would react. Nothing production has changed. We will be sharing some results soon as we get a bit more sorted out.

[Westward_Flyer]

Yesss I’ve been thinking about dropped hinges for years, now only have 3 years left before I can start to build. Looking forward to the results!

[scotthayd]

I would really like to hear more about this.
If it changes pitch attitude it could be a tremendous benefit on floats.

[Westward_Flyer]

Anyone have any updates on this? I’ve been hoping for a dropped hinge/slotted flap on the bearhawk for 4 or 5 years now. I’m a little worried it didn’t pan out since McCardle and Virgil have been pretty quiet about it.

[500AGL]

It will still arrive, but it’s one of a thousand things to incorporate into production, along with running the kit business and the build assist business. It’s far enough down the list there is no timeline yet.

As an FYI, when product enhancements become available, it’s typically the result of a long development road prior to an even longer implementation road. A large well run and profitable company would have a team in R&D, a logistical team to source, procure and obtain materials, a team to actually make the magic happen by turning raw materials into useable parts, a couple guys to test fly the full envelope, and then someone to market and sell the same items…. After the guys in production understand the change order and how to build the new parts.

At Bearhawk Aircraft, we essentially have two people, and occasionally 1 additional person to help make all of that above happen. This of course is in addition to their normal 50-70 hr work week.

A very small example is the for forthcoming fuel fill upgrade, both for production and retrofit. They have been in the works for about a year and a half, and while the design is locked, the prototypes has been tested and we are good to go, we don’t have parts on the shelf yet. Welcome to niche market production.

So, thank you for your interest and we love that you want what we are doing, just understand that Tom needs his firewall forward kit, Dick is coming for a build assist and Harry is on the phone asking about a kit. And that’s all at 9 am Monday.

pb

[The Flying Mechanic]

You forgot about me texting to see where a component should be in my inventory!!! :P

[500AGL]

The Flying Mechanic, lol!

[Westward_Flyer]

Very well put, thank you for taking the time to write out such a thoughtful response and for your patience! I can’t wait till it’s my turn to receive my kit and get to work. Hopefully with a dropped hinge update by then haha