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Alaskan interested in Bearhawks

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  • Alaskan interested in Bearhawks

    Hi all,
    I'm a long-time forum lurker. Ever since seeing the Bearhawk 5 article in EAA magazine I have nursed an obsession with these airplanes!
    I currently own a stretched pacer, 180 hp on floats (which I absolutely love), but my family has outgrown it.

    For context I have 5 (!) kids, which I know won't all fit when you include me and my better half. But short of a Beaver, this is the best I can do. Besides, they don't all want to come with us most of the time anyway!
    I love exploring Alaska, mostly on floats. We go moose hunting every year as a family, but our destination has air service so one or two can fly out commercially.

    My goal is to have an airplane that will haul most of us, fly over 120 mph or more, have good range, perform well on floats, and haul a moose.

    I am interested in putting together a quickbuild 5 on floats. The increased speed, range, and capacity over what I have now are really exciting for me.
    Lately I have been trying to decide if I actually want to build one, and I feel pretty sure the answer is yes.
    Feedback on any portion of this - build, mission, my sanity - is requested.

    I have reached out to a couple of members nearby and am hoping to get together to see their airplanes and hear their thoughts. Any feedback here is appreciated.
    Thanks!


  • #2
    Sounds like the perfect plane for you! Hope you get a chance to check out some of the Alaska Bearhawks.

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    • #3
      I think the 5 would be the perfect plane for a family. Where are you located?

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      • #4
        I am in Anchorage. My current plane lives at Lake Hood

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        • #5
          Welcome aboard Scott. I would appreciate your insite into avgas availability in Alaska. I am considering a Delta Hawk engine on my Patrol.
          Cheers
          Gerry

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          • #6
            Thanks for the welcome!
            I would consider long range tanks a must for Alaska regardless of fuel type. My plane holds 52 gallons and more would be nice.
            Avgas can generally be found, but you may have to go out of your way to find it.
            The Deltahawk engine is quite appealing. My concern would be that jet A might be even harder to come by than Avgas at Alaska airports. You could probably find diesel or heating fuel for sale in many villages, but I'm not sure how many have a pump at the runway. Hauling fuel in 5 gallon containers from the village pump would get old fast.
            Skyvector might show fuel availability at airports, and that would be a quick way to get an idea what you would be up against.

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