New member planning on a 4 place

[DwayneBailey]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I had the privilege of attending Bob’s bbq this year for the first time. We met some wonderful people and look forward to getting to know them better. It was a joy to see all the different airplanes up close and personal, since I hadn’t had the pleasure before. We left still somewhat undecided on exactly which model best suited us, but we both agree that if we were going to join a community of builders, this was the one for us. Thank you Bob, and everyone else for your hospitality.

After more consideration and discussion I think we will go with a 4 place B model.


Dwayne

[geraldmorrissey]

First, welcome aboard. One thing I've noticed after hanging around airports for many years is that the vast number of pilots fly solo. A few fly with one passenger, almost none fill up a 4 place airplane. That's why I chose the Patrol, I knew I would never need that extra capacity. I enjoyed taking people for a ride in my C150 but overall I'll bet 80 percent of my flying has been solo. Plus I like flying on the centerline. There is not much of a downside to those extra seats but I would think long and hard about my mission. Most will say better to have them and not need them but somehow it seems inefficient. Like one person driving around in a Cadillac Escalade. No matter which Bearhawk you choose, you'll get a great airplane.
Cheers
Gerry
Patrol #30

[schu]

My mission is wife and camping gear, or bikes, or friends, or hunting, etc....

If you are just going to fly around and go flightseeing and don't have a family, a 2 place is fine. If you want to get in and out of remote places with gear the side door and extra space helps a lot. I currently fly a 170, and if I could change one thing about it, it would have an extra 100hp, so given the BH will have 115 more HP, I think it will be ideal for my mission.

[DwayneBailey]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your thoughts and I understand where you’re coming from. Camping gear and remote airstrips is part of our mission, as well as longer cross country trips with kids and grandchildren. Although it may not be the case every single time, I definitely want the capability. I currently have a two place LSA for sightseeing and sunset flights. By the way schu, the the 170B is one of my favorite airplanes.

[BAnton]

Welcome, Dwayne! I built and flew an RV8 for 12 years. Stuffed it full of camping gear & usually 1 passenger for many trips including Oshkosh many times. Loved the plane and, as stated, figured I didn't need more seats. However, finished a 4 place Bearhawk 1 yr ago and found it's really cool to have all that room. Recently went on a camping fly in with my two sons. We were loaded to the gills with tents sleeping bags, etc, etc. One day decided to load it for a backcountry trip to see how much it would take. Put in all the gear for two people plus a mountain bike, huge cooler, camp stove. Never could have done that with the Patrol. Only downside is probably can't get into quite as many tight places as a smaller lighter plane.