Decided on a BH 4 Place

[Canuck Bearhawk]

New soon to be builder. I live in Abbotsford BC in Canada and I've decided to build a 4 place Bearhawk. With four of us in the family it seems to be the only homebuilt on the market that will haul four people and camping gear. I'm be looking to fly in the backcountry of BC, whether it's me and a friend heading out on a weekend fishing trip or just heading out to explore abandoned strips. After considering other kits on the market it looks like the Bearhawk is the right fit for that mission.

[Archer39J]

Hey welcome to the club! You're right, the Bearhawk 4-Place is pretty perfect for our area and mission. I take it you're going the QB route, talking of a kit and all?

[Chris In Milwaukee]

Welcome! If you aren't aware, Ryan Van Haren is a director at the BC General Aviation Association and is a Bearhawker. Hopefully you guys can get together to talk shop!

https://www.bcaviation.ca/

Here he is having some great fun out in your neck of the woods with some friends:

[Canuck Bearhawk]

Hey welcome to the club! You're right, the Bearhawk 4-Place is pretty perfect for our area and mission. I take it you're going the QB route, talking of a kit and all?

Thanks!

I would definitely go the QB route, I don't want to spend the time fabricating the fuselage and wings etc. I think it's worth saving the time and to me having the primary structure of the aircraft pre-fabbed in factory jigs is a good idea.

I might have a line on a fuselage, there might be one available near me or so I've been told by an acquaintance. I haven't fully explored this yet, I don't know if it's scratch built or part of a kit. I would prefer to just order an Avipro welded fuselage as part of a QB kit - I'd have less concern over weld quality if the one that might be available is out of the factory. The other thing that I'm unsure of is whether or not an older generation fuselage would work with the later BH Bravo wing or not, I'm sure there are differences in the camber of the wing. I don't know if the Bravo wing would meet the fuselage properly. I guess those are technical questions for another thread, I'll search for that answer when I get home.

[Battson]

Good choice, the QB kit is your best option for getting out there ASAP.

You will not be disappointed with the 4 place, or the Bearhawk family. The 4-place is a great backcountry aircraft, almost perfect, and in my view the perfect mix between a Cub, Maule, and Skywagon.

[svyolo]

Canuck;
I am just south of you in Bellingham, and just started on a QB kit. I thought about how much prefab I wanted, and almost bought a used QB kit. I am a scratch builder by heart, but want an airplane. The newer the kit, the more "refined". The quality of the kit supplied parts is outstanding. The more you mix and match new and old, the more "projects" you create. Maybe that is worth it to you on a cost basis. Depending on your welding skills, it might double the amount of time you spend building. Depends if time or cost is your primary consideration. Sometimes "mods" take more time than scratch building.

You are welcome anytime I am in town. I am here 18-20 days a month, building an airplane.

[Canuck Bearhawk]

Welcome! If you aren't aware, Ryan Van Haren is a director at the BC General Aviation Association and is a Bearhawker. Hopefully you guys can get together to talk shop!

https://www.bcaviation.ca/

Here he is having some great fun out in your neck of the woods with some friends:

I don't know Ryan personally but I have seen his Bearhawk in several videos and read about it on several sites. I did join the BC General Aviation Association a year or so ago, great grass roots organization. Really like their emphasis on back country flying and helping to keep unimproved strips open to aviation.

Oddly I did talk to a guy who was selling a hanger next to Ryan's at CYPK (beautiful hanger, near new but was quite pricy, would have cut into my airplane budget too much), from what I understand he is a controller at Pitt Meadows. I did my PPL at Pitt so it's likely that I have spoken with him while he's been at work. His plane does look like a well made example, it appears factory built. I'd definitely like to see it up close some day.

[Canuck Bearhawk]

Canuck;
I am just south of you in Bellingham, and just started on a QB kit. I thought about how much prefab I wanted, and almost bought a used QB kit. I am a scratch builder by heart, but want an airplane. The newer the kit, the more "refined". The quality of the kit supplied parts is outstanding. The more you mix and match new and old, the more "projects" you create. Maybe that is worth it to you on a cost basis. Depending on your welding skills, it might double the amount of time you spend building. Depends if time or cost is your primary consideration. Sometimes "mods" take more time than scratch building.

You are welcome anytime I am in town. I am here 18-20 days a month, building an airplane.

I might have to take you up on your offer and check out your plane. I live just across the border from Sumas and I'm in the States fairly often and if you need a hand with anything let me know.

I was fortunate enough in my high school days to be able to attend Langley Secondary School (across the street from Langley airport). At that time they offered an Aviation Technology course in grade 11 and 12, it was one of two such high school courses in Canada. There was an old bus garage on the grounds that got converted to a shop. There was a Falco in one bay and a scratch built amphibious plane called the Blue Teal in the other (truly experimental, essentially a fibreglass boat for a fuselage, wing mated to the stabilizer using twin tail booms with a pusher prop in between), the students got to work on both planes and the course was taught by a licensed flight instructor. It was a great course and after I left high school I was on a wait list to get into the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Unfortunately the aviation industry wasn't doing much hiring in the mid 90's and while I was working full time at CYVR refueling wide body jets waiting to get in I learned how dismal things were for AME apprentices. Getting hired as a commercial pilot wasn't any more likely either at that time. I ended up choosing another career path and luckily I can now afford to pursue aviation for my own pleasure, which has turned out fine.

I don't mind building but don't want to spend the time to weld up a fuselage or form ribs. I'd much rather spend the money and be closer to the goal - I've seen how long it can take to build a plane, it's certainly a commitment.

[Mark Goldberg]

Good morning Mr. Canuck Bearhawk. If you would like to talk about our Quick Build kits for the Model B Bearhawk - please get in touch. My email is N95MF@hotmail.com, or alternately my cell is 512/626-7886. I am happy to discuss options with you and describe the new kits. Mark