BEARHAWK 4-PLACE

opportunity, I could actually see myself building it. In the first place, it’s no secret I love bush-type aircraft. So that’s part of the airplane’s attraction.

I also love the basic simplicity of the airplane and Barrows straight ahead approach to design. He doesn’t complicate anything and, because of that, it is easy to see how things work and how to fabricate them.

I was thumbing through a couple of back issues of his quarterly newsletter, BearTracks, and found yet another reason I like the airplane: His straight-up design approach is followed by a similar philosophy in supporting his builders. He doesn’t waste a lot of time and

(continued from page 34) effort in designing brochures or fancy graphics, he just gives the builder totally understandable directions on how to build things with a minimum of tools. What he doesn’t do in gloss and color, he more than makes up for in clarity and understanding. The newsletter presents a lot of neat building tips.

The drawings themselves are professional looking bluelines and show his background as both an engineer and long-time airplane builder.

And then there is one of the other points about the Bearhawk which is attractive: It is so simple and well done that it makes a flawless platform for someone who wants to incorporate their own ideas in

Bearhawk Lsa

with a straight-ahead break and adequate stall warning. Only relaxation of back pressure was necessary for recovery. I attempted some accelerated stalls, but they were difficult to achieve, requiring very aggressive pitch inputs. The break was slightly left (in a left turn), again requiring only a reduction in back pressure for recovery.

The speed was then set to 40 mph IAS and quite aggressive steep turns were conducted, requiring only normal piloting techniques (i.e. coordinated aileron and rudder), and power to control speed. At 40 to 50 mph IAS, full-rudder sideslips

(continued from page 38) were well controlled, with no tendency to depart.

About That Stall Speed

Conventional airspeed indicators typically have linear (straight line) calibration curves, down to about 50 to 60 mph. In-flight calibration at speeds lower than that is difficult, due to proximity to the stall. However, we can expect the calibration (correction for accuracy) to become nonlinear (a term engineers use when they have no idea) somewhere below 50 mph IAS.

There’s only one way to tell for certain if drag of lower blade angles in the approach. As is, there’s not much to complain about. Performance is good for the mission, and handling qualities are well above the standard for the category. I haven’t felt this good about an airplane since the RV-10 prototype.  cosmetics, streamlining, interior, etc. For those who are afraid of doing their own welding (shame on you): Bob reports several manufacturing shops have contacted him about building component parts for his builders. So there is help out there for the faint of heart. Plus, today there’s a Quick-Build kit. one airplane can fly slower than another: Fly side by side and see who stalls first. That being beyond the scope of this effort, I can state, in a nonlinear fashion, the stall speed of the Bearhawk LSA is very close to 30 mph CAS.

(Originally published in Kitplanes, October 2010, Revival of the Fittest.)

We haven’t had many four-place airplanes offered to the homebuilder in the past and none have caught on. The Bearhawk looks as if it should change that trend. After all, think about its name: It’s a Cessna Skyhawk in concept with the brawn and attitude of a Bear. Bearhawk. What a combination!  (Excerpted from Sport Aviation, October 1995, Utility in a Home-Rolled Package .)

Approach and Landing: How to do it Without Flaps

Barrows demonstrated approach and landings with a touch and go on the paved runway, and a full stop landing on the turf. Downwind was flown at 60 mph IAS, slowing to 50 mph IAS in the approach

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