Bearhawk 4 Builder from the Czech Republic – Looking for European Builders & Certification Advice

A

Adrianbh

Member
Hi everyone,


I’m from the Czech Republic and I’m seriously considering building a Bearhawk 4 from scratch. Before I purchase the plans, I’m trying to understand what the certification process looks like here in Europe, and I’m hoping some of you may have experience with it.


My biggest questions are:


  • Has anyone built and registered a Bearhawk in Europe (especially Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia, or the Czech Republic)?
  • How does the approval process work for an amateur-built aircraft? Are inspections required throughout the build at specific milestones, or is the aircraft inspected only once it’s completed?
  • What kind of documentation did you keep during the build (photos, builder’s log, material certificates, etc.)?
  • Were there any unexpected challenges getting the aircraft approved?
  • Is there anything you wish you had known before starting?

I’ve already contacted the Czech aviation authorities, but I’d really like to hear from someone who has actually gone through the process with a Bearhawk or another scratch-built aircraft in Europe.


If you know of any Bearhawk builders in Europe—or if you are one yourself—I would really appreciate hearing from you. Even if you’re in another European country, your experience would be extremely helpful.


Thanks in advance!
 
Hi

I'm building a Bearhawk Patrol SP in Ireland under our local 'EAA type' organization called ILAS (Irish Light Aircraft Society).
In Poland there is a recent BH4 completed and flying by a guy called Radek using a UL Power 520T motor. (I'm also using this motor in the Patrol).
In Austria, there is also a recent completed and now flying Bearhawk Patrol...the Austrian authorities required serious additional load testing of the engine mount and wings requiring sand bags and lots of calculations etc., so every country can be a little different, so I'd suggest reaching out to whatever the Czech Republic has as an equivalent of their own home building organization.

I also started by buying plans but though I'm trained at welding I opted for the quick build kit... going well but in my third year. Hopefully flying in a few months. A pal here in Ireland is also scratch building a Fiesler Storch - he's around twenty years at that and now just starting his wings!
 
paulodonnell said:
Hi

I'm building a Bearhawk Patrol SP in Ireland under our local 'EAA type' organization called ILAS (Irish Light Aircraft Society).
In Poland there is a recent BH4 completed and flying by a guy called Radek using a UL Power 520T motor. (I'm also using this motor in the Patrol).
In Austria, there is also a recent completed and now flying Bearhawk Patrol...the Austrian authorities required serious additional load testing of the engine mount and wings requiring sand bags and lots of calculations etc., so every country can be a little different, so I'd suggest reaching out to whatever the Czech Republic has as an equivalent of their own home building organization.

I also started by buying plans but though I'm trained at welding I opted for the quick build kit... going well but in my third year. Hopefully flying in a few months. A pal here in Ireland is also scratch building a Fiesler Storch - he's around twenty years at that and now just starting his wings!
Click to expand...
Thank you very much Paul, would you have any contact for those guys in Poland and Austria? Where did you buy the plans from? I contacted Bearhawk just now and they told me that they don’t sell any plans anymore.
 
Adrianbh said:
Thank you very much Paul, would you have any contact for those guys in Poland and Austria? Where did you buy the plans from? I contacted Bearhawk just now and they told me that they don’t sell any plans anymore.
Click to expand...
Hi Adrian, welcome! There are two separate companies. The one you talked with sells kits. The designer sells the plans. Here are more details:
jaredyates

Thread 'New to the Bearhawk? Start here!'

Welcome to the Bearhawk community! Starting a new airplane project is a fun and exciting time, as is buying a new airplane. Here is a short guide to help you find your way.

First, Who's Who?

Bob Barrows
The Bearhawk airplanes are designed by Bob Barrows, in Fincastle, Virginia. Bob is the person to talk to if you want to buy a set of plans, or transfer ownership of a set of plans. When the plans are revised, Bob puts out official engineering updates, which are published at <a href="http://bearhawksafety.com/">http://bearhawksafety.com/</a>. You can subscribe to an email...
  • Like

Here is the website for the designer who sells plans:
If you have trouble getting in touch with Bob, please let me know. He doesn't do online orders but for international builders I think he might have a payment option. You'll have to catch him on the phone and he is in the Eastern US time zone (gmt -4 hours).

The Austrian builder Stephan is on the forum with the user name @noema , but I don't believe the Poland builder participates here. I was not successful in attempting contact in the past.
 
jaredyates said:
Hi Adrian, welcome! There are two separate companies. The one you talked with sells kits. The designer sells the plans. Here are more details:
jaredyates

Thread 'New to the Bearhawk? Start here!'

Welcome to the Bearhawk community! Starting a new airplane project is a fun and exciting time, as is buying a new airplane. Here is a short guide to help you find your way.

First, Who's Who?

Bob Barrows
The Bearhawk airplanes are designed by Bob Barrows, in Fincastle, Virginia. Bob is the person to talk to if you want to buy a set of plans, or transfer ownership of a set of plans. When the plans are revised, Bob puts out official engineering updates, which are published at <a href="http://bearhawksafety.com/">http://bearhawksafety.com/</a>. You can subscribe to an email...
  • Like

Here is the website for the designer who sells plans:
If you have trouble getting in touch with Bob, please let me know. He doesn't do online orders but for international builders I think he might have a payment option. You'll have to catch him on the phone and he is in the Eastern US time zone (gmt -4 hours).

The Austrian builder Stephan is on the forum with the user name @noema , but I don't believe the Poland builder participates here. I was not successful in attempting contact in the past.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much Jared for all the information. That’s great news. I tried to contact him 2x via phone from the website last week during his daytime but no success so far. Maybe he does not want to pick up a czech phone number because it could be expensive. Is there any other way to contact him?
 
You might try sms to his mobile number which is on the website (540) 798-8600
This should be a good time of day to try.
 
Adrianbh said:
Thank you very much Paul, would you have any contact for those guys in Poland and Austria? Where did you buy the plans from? I contacted Bearhawk just now and they told me that they don’t sell any plans anymore.
Click to expand...
As Jared said, it's straight to Bob for the plans, Stefan in Austria is here as Noema and Radek in PL is hard to get hold of...
 
paulodonnell said:
As Jared said, it's straight to Bob for the plans, Stefan in Austria is here as Noema and Radek in PL is hard to get hold of...
Click to expand...
Did you have to submit plans for an initial airworthiness investigation? I have to give them exact plans on how I will build it and they will decide if that is ok before starting. I have gotten now a contact from a great guy in the CAA. He gave me all this great info about the process. One fear I still have is that I purchase the plans and they won’t accept the design, for whatever reason. But I guess I just have to risk it and in worst case I will just lose that money. He confirmed that there is no Bearhawk A/C currently registered in CZ.
 
Also did you guys get any documents from testing the aircraft that were approved by the FAA? That may go a long way.
 
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