Potential LSA builder in Chicago area

[SmoothIsFast]

Hi everybody, long time lurker, first time poster here. I'm looking to build a light sport-compliant, tandem taildragger for fun flying around Chicagoland/Northern Illinois and the occasional weekend trips to my favorite fishing spots in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.

I've narrowed my choices down to the Bearhawk LSA (quick build kit) and the Rans S-7S. Both are fantastic planes, but I think the Bearhawk is probably a better fit for me because of its superior cruise performance and larger baggage capacity. My only concern is if the Bearhawk LSA is a bit too much to chew for a first time builder whose mechanical experience is limited to light maintenance on motorcycles. The Rans, on the other hand, seems to be a more complete kit with more comprehensive manuals, so it's a little more "paint-by-numbers" for those builders who want to stick to the manufacturer's script.

If any QB kit LSA builders want to chime in about their overall build experience, I'd really appreciate it. I'm also curious about engine selection and how much you had to spend on things not included in the kit to get the plane flying?

Thanks in advance!

Will

[OhioLSA]

Hi Will, welcome aboard!

I'm building the LSA from the quick build kit. You're right, the Bearhawk LSA and the Rans S-7 are both good airplanes, but its seems to me that the Bearhawk has more of the "real airplane" character than the Rans. I can highly recommend the kit - the quality of the kit is top notch. The Rans probably has more of the pre-determined "insert tab A into slot B" kind of approach, while the Bearhawk leaves more for the builder to figure out. But the support from Mark Goldberg is superb. Whenever I've had a question he has always been able to answer it quickly and clearly. If you haven't spoken with Mark yet, you should.

As far as stuff you'll have to buy that isn't in the kit, the major expenses will be the engine, instrumentation, and fabric covering, as well as most of the common hardware (bolts, nuts, rivets, cables, etc.) Maybe that's all true of the Rans too, though I'm not familiar with their kit.

Private message me if you'd like to discuss further.

[SmoothIsFast]

Thanks for the welcome! I did exchange emails with Mark, and he already offered to put me in touch with a Bearhawk LSA builder with experience with both planes. How's that for builder support (and I'm not even a builder yet)? I have some questions I'll run by you in a PM.

[Cguy]

One thing to consider, the lead time on a S-7S kit now is at least a year, as the factory is swamped with S-21 orders. Having built two S-7's, and 4 other kit planes, and lurked on the this site quite a bit, my take is that the 7 is an easier build. But that does not mean much in your overall decision, and probably shouldn't be the determining factor in your choice. I find it interesting that many current S-7 pilots are eyeballing the LSA pretty closely, myself included.