BEARHAWK MAGAZINE • MEET THE CONTRIBUTORS

Mark Goldberg

While looking for his next airplane project, Mark Goldberg fell in love with the Bearhawk and, along with two other entrepreneurs, saw a business opportunity in Bob Barrow’s Bearhawk design. He later put together a factory in central Mexico to produce a Quick-Build kit for the aircraft with the goal of reducing the time-consuming (up to 5,000 hours) work required to build a Bearhawk from plans. In 2002, Mark’s N303AP became the first kit-built Bearhawk to fly. It is powered by a Lycoming O-540A4D5 (250 HP) swinging a Hartzell 84” 2 blade prop. Stall speed is below 40 MPH. Cruise speed is over 160 MPH at 75% power. Today, Mark leads the charge to produce Quick-Build kits for three aircraft designs. His team of pilot/builders extends across the U.S. and abroad. Kits have been delivered to South America, Africa, Canada, Ecuador, Brazil, Germany, Norway, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Bearhawk Aircraft is based in Austin, Texas, where Mark resides. Support for Bearhawk builders is broadly represented on numerous websites and forums. It is with Mark’s dedication and persistence that the Bob Barrow’s Bearhawk design has become a prevalent fixture in the realm of backcountry and recreational flying. For more information, visit www.bearhawkaircraft.com.

Mike Taylor

Mike Taylor is a former aircraft design engineer, 24-year aviation industry veteran, current marketing consultant and private pilot. He spent seven years working with a FAA-DER in engineering and certification, developing modification/alteration solutions in aircraft ranging in size from light general aviation to head-of-state and corporate VIP transport. Mike modeled airframe structures for the SJ-30 jet, among others. After receiving an MBA in Business, he led marketing strategy projects for an ad agency with a base of clients in aviation. His has also studied architecture, travels extensively, and built and flies a Legend Cub. For more information, visit www.mtay.us.

Jared Yates

Jared Yates is a Bearhawk kit builder based in Hickory, North Carolina. He and his wife Tabitha use their Bearhawk 4-Place N805TB to carry their two young daughters on adventures far and wide. Jared is a career pilot with thousands of hours of flight experience in dozens of aircraft types, and is also the holder of a special FAA authorization to conduct transition training in the Bearhawk. His kit construction and flight testing is documented at bearhawkblue. com. Jared also edits BearTracks, the quarterly newsletter that covers the three Bearhawk designs. Bear-Tracks is available at bearhawkstore.com, along with hats and shirts sporting the Bearhawk logo.

Chuck Berthe

Chuck Berthe is a retired Naval Aviator, civilian Test Pilot, and Aeronautical Engineer with ATP, CIFI, Helo, A&P ratings, and two Repairman Certificates. He has logged 16,600 pilot hours, and is an Associate Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. As a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot school, his opinions are highly regarded among pilots, prospective aircraft builders and aviators. Berthe currently writes for Kitplanes magazine, www.kitplanes.com.

Budd Davisson

Budd Davisson is an aeronautical engineer who’s flown PIC in more than 300 different types of aircraft. He’s published four books, more than 4,000 articles, and is editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine. Davisson is also a flight instructor, primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. An exhibition of his photography resided for eight years in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Davisson was among the first to fly and report on the Bearhawk and championed its design and creator. Flying since the age of 15, he shares a common interest with Bearhawk builders and operators in high-performing aircraft design and construction. For more information, visit www.airbum.com.

Georg Himmeroeder

German-born Georg Himmeroeder, now in his fifties, is married with two kids and purchased a Bearhawk Quick-Build kit on his 48th birthday. Now residing in Alamogordo, New Mexico, Georg manages a flight simulator facility. He received is Private Pilot Certificate in 1996 in Grandby, Colorado. Georg has been flying his Bearhawk since 2012, often into the backcountry in Utah, Idaho and New Mexico. In July 2013, his aircraft was displayed at the Bearhawk booth at AirVenture and won an award for “Outstanding Workmanship.” For more information, visit www. bearhawk.info.

Dave Lenart

Dave Lenart lives in the woods of Vermont with his wife Laura. He is a homebuilder and fabricator of many things. The Bearhawk was his first airplane project and has since restored several fabric airplanes and is in the final stages of acquiring his A&P license. He has almost 400 hours in his Bearhawk with 31 inch Bushwheels flying the mountains and backcountry of the northeast. Dave has become a true believer in Bob Barrows designs, considering the Patrol or the LSA as his next build.

Wayne Massey

Wayne Massey has been flying airplanes for 40 years. His first flight in an aircraft was his first lesson and he went on to solo at the age of 16. He currently holds an ATP rating and has been flying commercial aircraft for over 30 years. Civilian trained, his flying experience includes flying Part 135 in Alaska, flying for a regional airline in the Pacific Northwest. Wayne is a current an A320 captain for a major U.S. airline. Wayne owns and flies a pre-war Aeronca Chief and is currently building a Bearhawk.

Eric Newton

Eric Newton learned to fly in the early 70s, earning his Private Pilot Certificate while attending high school in northern California. After renting aircraft for several years, Eric built a Van’s RV-6A. In 2003, Eric and his father-in-law sought a new project, one that would carry more baggage and people, and a high-wing, so they could enjoy the terrain and do aerial photography. Their decision to purchase a Bearhawk followed a question-and-answer session with Bob Barrows at Sun ‘n Fun fly-in. As a plans-built aircraft, their Bearhawk took 4-1/2 years complete. Eric and his wife Michelle live in Long Beach, Mississippi. Eric has produced and sells instructional builder manuals for the Bearhawk designs. For more information, visit mybearhawk.com.