Source: 2011 Q3 Beartracks, Jared Yates
This fall we drove to Bob’s airport for his 2011 Fly-in. It was great to see many new and old friends, and in my case, to see two Bearhawks that I hadn’t seen yet. The skies were clear and the temperature was comfortable, but strong winds kept the flying to a minimum. Roy Glenn arrived early in his cream-colored scratch-built Bearhawk. It has a Continental O-470 engine, and left-side cargo door. When I saw that the door was on the left, I said to Roy “Well, that sure makes a lot of sense!” He smiled proudly as though he’d heard that a few times already. Roy keeps his airplane in central Tennessee, and had fantastic tailwinds on the way to Bob’s.
The red and white Bearhawk belongs to Philip Johnson. It has a Lycoming O-360 and features a split rear seat. He can quickly change the configuration between a 2, 3, or 4 seat cabin. Philip is an experienced mechanic and the quality of his scratch-built airplane reflects his expertise. He added aluminum skin to the flaps and ailerons,
though in retrospect he does not advise others to do the same since the weight increase is significant. Philip keeps the airplane in Missouri, but he arrived at Bob’s from Pennsylvania on his way home from another trip. The tailwinds that Roy enjoyed were headwinds for Philip!
We also enjoyed seeing Bob’s Bearhawk LSA in near airworthy condition. This is a 2-place airplane that Bob built with the goal of producing a light-weight, LSA-eligible airplane. The empty weight is a remarkable 728 pounds, which Bob is quick to qualify “could be 20 pounds less with a wood prop instead of a metal prop.” He has built several airplanes, and this one seems to represent all of the weight-saving strategies he has been able to collect. The airplane is ready to fly mechanically, but it still needs an inspection. Bob has run into frustrating delays from the local FSDO inspectors, who say that they are understaffed and unable to schedule an inspection. The Bearhawk LSA has what is essentially a 75HP Continental engine, no flaps, thinner wing skins, and several other
modifications to reduce weight.
Overall the trip was a great success for us. I always enjoy being around other Bearhawk builders, and this time was no exception. We’re already looking forward to next year, when hopefully we’ll be able to bring our own Bearhawk!