After much consideration (read years of consideration) I've decided to go the experimental route in my next plane and ordered a Bearhawk QB kit this week. Estimating arrival in late September.

I really like the idea of having a new airplane. I demo'd a Bearhawk at the 2008 Arlington Fly-In and really like its performance and relatively spacious cabin. I'd looked hard at Maules, 180s, 182s, and 170s as well trying to find what would be best for me. I don't fit in a Maule worth a darn, the 170 was a little light on power for hopping over the Sierra Nevada Mts., the 180 is a great plane but to get as nice of a bird as I want it'd be well north of $100K. 182s are great planes and I know they are extremely capable aircraft, one of my all time favorites really, but I wanted to put that little wheel on the tail.

So the plan as it is evolving currently is IO-540 power, MT 3 blade, 72 gal. of fuel. All glass panel with ADS-B in and out. Oratex cover, really like the weight savings of it and not spraying all the stuff my lungs don't like. Double puck brakes, and 8.50x6s. I'll be commuting from my home airport KMEV to KSQL weather permitting so it'll see a lot of pavement, I'll get some 29s or 31s if I take it back home to AK with me for fishing and exploring.

" IO-540 power, MT 3 blade, 72 gal. of fuel. All glass panel with ADS-B in and out. Oratex cover, really like the weight savings of it and not spraying all the stuff my lungs don't like. Double puck brakes, and 8.50x6s."

Sounds like a great list! Of course I am kinda biased as you have described my setup exactly with the exception I chose carburated instead of fuel injection for my bearhawk.

Good luck, its a great airplane and kit.

Steve
RV-4
Bearhawk 4PL

A 170 is light on power unless you put a 210hp IO-360 on the nose.

I wish they made something similar to a 170 (all metal high wing 4 seater with a pretty tail) as Experimental.

n144sh wrote:" IO-540 power, MT 3 blade, 72 gal. of fuel. All glass panel with ADS-B in and out. Oratex cover, really like the weight savings of it and not spraying all the stuff my lungs don't like. Double puck brakes, and 8.50x6s."

Sounds like a great list! Of course I am kinda biased as you have described my setup exactly with the exception I chose carburated instead of fuel injection for my bearhawk.

Good luck, its a great airplane and kit.

Steve
RV-4
Bearhawk 4PL

You obviously have great taste sir and thanks!

I can't think of a reason that a tube and fabric fuselage would be a disadvantage vs a monocoque airframe.




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I like your taste in aircraft! The MT would be great, I wish I could afford it! Otherwise quite similar to mine.

Bagarre wrote:A 170 is light on power unless you put a 210hp IO-360 on the nose.

I wish they made something similar to a 170 (all metal high wing 4 seater with a pretty tail) as Experimental.

The Tundra could be made into exactly such an aircraft, with some simple fibreglass additions to the tail. They even take the IO-360 as standard.

Battson wrote:I like your taste in aircraft! The MT would be great, I wish I could afford it! Otherwise quite similar to mine.

My wife likes the white propeller.

Nice choice AKAviator! Good luck with your build, I remember unloading our then - new - kit off the trailer all those years ago! Was pretty exciting!

On my newly rebuilt Maule, I just pulled the 83" three blade off and replaced with the 83" two blade. The two blade proved superior in every aspect of flight on my airplane.

I just thought given the similarities of the Bearhawk and Maule, this could be of interest to you. However, if you've not bought the prop and your heart is set on a three blade MT, I happen to have a brand new shiny one that will need to change owners soon.

Ross

RWM wrote:On my newly rebuilt Maule, I just pulled the 83" three blade off and replaced with the 83" two blade. The two blade proved superior in every aspect of flight on my airplane.

I just thought given the similarities of the Bearhawk and Maule, this could be of interest to you. However, if you've not bought the prop and your heart is set on a three blade MT, I happen to have a brand new shiny one that will need to change owners soon.

Ross

The MT was my wife's favorite because of the color.

With my bush flying past, I've liked the toughness of a Hartzell aluminum prop. I found today that Ameritech Aviation will custom paint for me so that might be the way I go.

I was fortunate enough to get to spend a week at EAA Airventure. Talk about sensory overload. Looked at so many components and there were so many I didn't get to see because there were literally 10,000 airplanes to look at as well.

-Decided I'm going with McFarlane cables, love how buttery smooth they are, plus they'll do custom knob labeling for you, in case you need a John Deere rabbit on the throttle, or something witty like "GO/DON'T GO."
-Cleveland 199-62A brakes, I've got a ton of experience with their stuff and I was born in Cleveland so that was a done deal.
-OregonAero seat cushions and covers. Comfort is paramount for my wife and I when we'll be out exploring and while they are spendy, the quality is top notch.
-Not 100% sure on the layout yet, but the Garmin G3X Touch system is amazing. And intuitive. I'm leaning towards a VFR installation with some form of dual screens so that I can at very least have a second display for engine information.
-ORATEX. That stuff is incredible. I don't know if a gorilla could tear that stuff. While a little limited in color selection (they did just add black and orange) I really like how environmentally friendly it is and the time savings in installation.

There were so many cool LED lighting options I didn't get close to nailing that down. Lots of time for that.

-I'm liking the E-Mags currently (is that a pun?).

Anyhow, that's some of my list. About two more months until my kit arrives so I'll continue to hone it down.

I've got a single emag I haven't installed yet. I can give you a pirep once I get it in.

Excellent! What engine?


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160hp O-320

CamTom12 wrote:160hp O-320

Cool. This weekend might be good for you to get that job done huh?

Hahaha, no. This weekend is catching up on the lawn and replacing my oil cooler. Maybe next weekend?

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CamTom12 wrote:Hahaha, no. This weekend is catching up on the lawn and replacing my oil cooler. Maybe next weekend?

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Glad to hear I'm not the only one doing yard work.

I've got lots of time to figure this out, appreciate your report when it comes. I liked that with a dead battery you can get enough juice from a 9V battery to energize it.

I agree on both counts! That yard work sucked!

I'll be testing the 9v thing at some point just to be sure. Helps peace of mind with another mag right now, but my endstate is dual P-mags.

Not long until delivery of that QB kit now......

Battson wrote:Not long until delivery of that QB kit now......

Right? I'm getting pretty excited. I show my wife your backcountry videos on the big screen to get her as excited as I am. Well, maybe not quite as excited as I am....

I have a question for Bearhawk builders: With as many similarities that the Bearhawk airframe shares with Maule, how many parts might be interchangeable? Such as the oleo struts; who makes them for Bearhawk?