Greetings from Wyoming

[Jcarne]

Hello everyone, my name is Jereme Carne and I am looking into building the Bearhawk 4 or 5, haven't decided yet.

I recently just finished building an RV-7A and am needing a 4 seat more and more so I can carry the family. The plan was to always build the -10 next but I toured around a Bearhawk in Oshkosh this year and upon looking up the specs I think it will suite my family needs even better! Still cruises fast and has a stall speed that makes me more comfortable with my family on board should the fan stop spinning, not to mention the bigger tires. I live in Wyoming which is mostly back-country that I will be able to explore more too.

Since I have already built once I'm betting it will be a little quicker this time since I already know how to do wiring, FWF, and metals skills. Of course I will have to learn the fabric stuff. haha

Now it's just a matter of getting the money to buy the quick build kit without selling my RV-7A right away so I can keep flying. Well there is also that tailwheel endorsement to work on. Looking forward to it everyone!

[Sir Newton]

I am a fan of the RV-10 & many other kits. One draw to BH5 was the ability to customize the project during the scratch build process. It takes some time & commitment to scratch build however the end result is exactly what you want. BH5 on anphibs. The more builders the better. cheers

[whee]

What region if WY? I’m in East Idaho and visit a friend in Big Piney occasionally.

The 5 is the plane I would have built had it been available when I was building. Would be a fantastic family airplane. The 4 is too but with kids the most space the better.

[Jcarne]

Ya the only thing that has me worried to some degree on the BH5 is insurance. This worry could be misplaced but I simply haven't talked to my broker about it yet. I guess either way I will have low tailwheel time and should just be prepared. haha

Whee, I'm located in Worland, next time you are in Big Piney with the BH let me know, KBPI is only an hour from where I live in the -7A. Where about in Idaho are you? It probably isn't too much further for me. Would love to see a BH up close again.

[Mark Dickens]

Jereme, as one RV builder to another, I can give you my impressions thus about 2 months in the Bearhawk Companion build. There are similarities of course and lots of differences (beyond the fabric, which is an obvious difference and one that I'm not yet qualified to comment on). So, here are my observations:

1. Although you'll buy a set of plans for the plane, you'll find that they are really oriented to scratch builders and are of limited usefulness for a QB builder. I haven't opened my plans in a week or two and then just to try and resolve some ambiguity. You'll find that you'll rely heavily on your general knowledge of aircraft construction, techniques, etc. At once, it's freeing and the same time a little frustrating. I got 30 18x24 plan pages total for the whole thing and the vast majority of that is only useful to scratch builders. The good news is that Avipro must have a very good set of secret plans they use to build the QB for you.

2. These kits seems to be constantly evolving, in the good direction, I mean, but something you may read in one of the builder's manuals (there are three that I know of) may not even be applicable any longer. While Vans takes years to make a single change in their kits, it seems that the Bearhawk kits change frequently. So it's a fluid situation and again another case where your already existing knowledge, common sense, etc help you understand whats what.

3. The parts count on the Bearhawk QB is not even in the same galaxy as the RV. The RV has a zillion little bits and pieces. Avipro does a VERY nice job on the kit. The fuse is nicely welded and painted already. Some of the aluminum is already cut to match your kit and deburred. I was astounded at this since I had to fab up a lot of little things on the RV-8 standard kit...of course that was in the dark ages of RV kits.You don't do nearly as much standing over the scotchbrite wheel and bandsaw on these kits. My experience with metal has come in very handy and allowed me to fab things up quickly that I imagine would be a challenge for a newbie to metal working.

4. You'll need more drill bits as you're working with steel and not as much aluminum. I had to stock up at OSH. Also, there are lots of screws and plate nuts on this kit. If you don't have a plate nut drill jig for #6 screws, you'll want to get one. Also padded and unpadded Adel clamps.

5. These planes are built like the proverbial brick SH. They will haul the load. Even on my Companion kit, I'll be able to throw 250 lbs in the cavernous baggage area (as compared to an -8). The RV is more like a sports car, the Bearhawk is an F-250 truck (some will probably disagree with this, but that's the way I see it). But that's what I want, something to load up and go places and not worry about scratching my expensive paint job or breaking my wheel pants.

6. Fabric is to the bearhawk as fiberglass is to the RV. I was really very confounded by fiberglass at first and then I realized that it's not that difficult and while i can't say I'm at that stage with fabric yet (covering the gear right now and trying to figure out how to maneuver around all the little angles and protrusions), I think that's coming. Fortunately, like fiberglass, fabric supplies aren't that expensive so if you mess up, rip it off and do it again without breaking the bank. Most say that they find fabric covering to be relaxing and enjoyable. Let's just say that i'm nowhere near that assessment yet, but trust it will come. Very artsy and craftsy and that's not my strong suit.

In conclusion, I'm finding it to be very enjoyable. Mark G has been very responsive with my questions and the group of builders, while exponentially smaller than the RV builders crowd has been very nice and helpful. I think you'd find the kit to be enjoyable.

I'm sure Mark and the others will chime in with their opinions....

[Jcarne]

Mark thanks for the truly awesome reply!

I was noticing on some YouTube videos that there seemed to be some different plans out there, I'm still unclear on what all the option are though. I'm sure that is a great question for Mark G.

Idk about the -8 but the -7 plans still have errors/ aren't updated so I am fairly used to going off script as I'm sure you did too, especially towards the back-end of the build.

Some of the stuff is already deburred?!?!?! That is freakin awesome, I absolutely hated the amount of time I had to spend deburring while building the -7A; absopositively hated it! This was actually one of the biggest selling points of the Bearhawk to me; about half the time to build a great airplane.

While I haven't been in a BH yet I see how your comparison to vehicles would make sense. I am sure I will miss the sporty feel of my -7A but at this point in my life I need a family hauler and to be honest something that is more stable for IFR training (secondary concern). My mission quickly changed when I had kids. Funny how that happens haha.

From some of the videos I have watched on fabric it sure as heck seems more enjoyable than fiberglass! I am what I would consider pretty good at fiberglass but I certainly don't enjoy it. Once again another selling point of the BH.

Seriously though Mark, your post was supremely helpful and quite honestly just confirms how good of a fit this next build is for me and my family! Thank you sir

[Mark Dickens]

In re plans, there's the builders manual on the bearhawkaircraft.com site. It's a little dated and is useful nevertheless because the general path through the kit is still the same. Then there's bearhawk.tips and you'll get free access to the builder manual section once you buy the kit. It's largely the same as the manual on the bearhawkaircraft.com site but there are some updates and additions too. Eric Newton has a set of three manuals he sells at bhtailwheels.com, mainly oriented to the scratchbuilder, but he recommends quick builders just get the third volume. I bought it and it's very well done. There may be some other "manuals" out there as well that I don't know about, but fortunately the kit is pretty obvious is how to put it together (at least it is to me as a previous builder), and although there aren't that many builder sites on the web, the ones that are there have been a good help and this site is a gold mine to search. Jared was smart to allow image upload so there are many photos on this forum that help you answer questions as well. It's definitely not a "insert tab A into slot B" kind of kit!

[Jcarne]

Thanks Mark for clarifying the plans a bit more, that makes sense now.

[jaredyates]

The QB wing skins are almost entirely riveted at the factory. The part that is left open is to make it easier for you to get in there to run cables and wires, but when it's time for final riveting, the holes are already deburred and dimpled.

[Jcarne]

I just can't get over that. That is a nice touch from the factory! I just assumed I was going to have to bust out the trusty C-frame again.

[Pbruce]

I also live very near the Rockies. I had an RV (didn't build it) but the appeal of the back-country is irresistible, which brought me to the Bearhawk. I took a weekend EAA sheet metal course and with that under my belt, I thought the wings were easy. It took me five months to get organized, build a rotisserie, and get the first wing done. The second one I did in five weeks. You’d be starting where I left off, or better. Fuselage-I’m back to being a total newb. I think the aluminum parts are probably some of the most challenging, and doing an engine installation has got to be easier the second time around. Again, you should do well with it. So far, all steel parts are fitting very well, and all factory workmanship is very good. I agree with pretty much all previous comments in this thread.

[Jcarne]

Very nice, I have debated just building the wings myself but I'm sure my wife would appreciate just buying the quick build. haha She had to have a conversation with me a time or two with how much time I was spending in the garage. After about year 2 I found she just accepted it to some degree. Luckily it was only a four year build. I'm sure the BH will be faster no doubt.

As luck would have it this will be my 3rdish time installing all the FWF stuff. I had an impulse coupler with a flyweight manufacturing defect on my brand new engine. Long story short it had to come off to be repaired.

Definitely going electronic ignition on the BH!

[whee]

Ya the only thing that has me worried to some degree on the BH5 is insurance. This worry could be misplaced but I simply haven't talked to my broker about it yet. I guess either way I will have low tailwheel time and should just be prepared. haha

Whee, I'm located in Worland, next time you are in Big Piney with the BH let me know, KBPI is only an hour from where I live in the -7A. Where about in Idaho are you? It probably isn't too much further for me. Would love to see a BH up close again.

Insurance is a concern for all of us. Last year was $3600ish and my agent said to expect at least a 10% increase this year. I them to not bother with quotes and dropped insurance. 😐

I’m at KIDA.

[Dpearson]

Welcome Jereme!
You mentioned working on a tailwheel endorsement - I suggest to go ahead with that ASAP. When I got interested in the BH I decided to complete tailwheel transition training as a prerequisite to buying a kit. I was surprised at how challenging it was to unlearn 30 years of tricycle gear bad habits and use my feet properly! The training was a great experience, sometimes frustrating but in the end fun and rewarding to pick up a new skill.