Source: 2021 Q2 Beartracks
Dave Lenart reports completing the phase 1 testing of the first Bearhawk Companion in Vermont. Dave had previously built a Bearhawk 4-Place with an angle valve 360 and a constant speed prop. In many ways the Companion flies and performs much like he remembers the other one did, even though the Companion has 10-20 less horsepower with its parallel-valve engine and a fixed-pitch prop. The engine mount is 6 inches shorter, which makes for better visibility over the nose. He feels more favorable handling in pitch when compared to the 4-Place and more so when compared to the Patrol, because more of the weight is centered around the CG. Dave found it to be a little faster on the top end due to the design drag reductions (126 knots IAS), and a little slower on the low end due to the lighter wing loading. It stalls at 38 knots with full flaps and 42 knots clean. The operational number for baggage capacity is 250 pounds, and Dave thinks it will be a great candidate for floats, because of the huge useful load. Dave was also very pleased with the seats, which were covered by Daniel at Sport Aircraft Seats in Alaska. Now that Daniel has the patterns for the seat frames, he’ll be able to make seat covers and foam kits for other Bearhawks and expects to have pricing and ordering information available soon.