Source: 2021 Q4 Beartracks, Nev Bailey
I had been thinking about building an aircraft for many years and after deciding on a Bearhawk, I finally started building mine in August 2020. This coincided with moving with my family back to NZ after 20 years living in Asia. The 4-place Bearhawk seemed to cover what I was after, and I settled on an IO-540 engine, Hartzell Trailblazer prop and PMAG ignitions. Two Dynon HDX screens and the Dynon ACM electronic circuit breakers completed the cockpit setup. Very early on I elected to make two modifications. I was keen on gullwing doors, and also a skylight. These of course added extra work, but I’m happy with the outcome and glad I did both. The gull-wing doors make getting in and out reasonably easy. The build certainly provided its challenges – this was my first aircraft build and the learning curve was steep. Spray
painting was without doubt the hardest part for me, and I was quite glad when that was over. Doing the fabric covering was quite enjoyable and I had no shortage of help from some far more experienced builders. I had decided early on to find a mentor, and was lucky to meet a retired engineer who visited weekly. By the end of the build I had enlisted the help of several retired engineers, all keen to keep their hand in and only too happy to help out. I’m lucky that I could spend several hours a day in the workshop most days and progress was reasonably steady.
Several weeks ago I trucked the fuselage and wings to my hangar and began assembling them. With the end of build in sight, it was an enjoyable part of the build. Then came a week of checks – Avionics sign-off, Weight & Balance, Fuel Flow testing, 100 hour/Annual, and finally last Wednesday the CAA check. They all went well, and the NZ CAA issued my Certificate of Airworthiness to begin flight testing, and the personalized call-sign “Bearhawk Bravo”. I made the first flight the following day, just my local engineer present and I hadn’t told anyone else – that was the way I wanted it. Having already given it a lot of thought and preparation, I simply taxied out, ran the engine up, and departed. I had a permanent grin on my face for hours after landing!
I’m now 9 hours into flight testing. We’ve done one oil change, and the engine appears to be largely run in, with CHTs lower now, and oil consumption minimal. I’ve made numerous changes and tweaks, fine tuning the ailerons, flaps, pitch trim pushrods, added a rudder trim, tightened the trim cables, hoisted and adjusted the gear oleos, changed the instrumentation red-lines, increased the oil pressure – and it continues daily. After each adjustment, it flies just a bit better each time and at this stage I’ve already got an aircraft that is delightful to fly. I’m slowly getting some currency back myself and although early days at this stage, it is nice to be back in the air again. Hopefully by the time the 40 hour testing program is complete, I’ll be current enough to find a couple of strips nearby and start practicing. I also plan to join the local back country flying group and learn a few things from them. There’s a gathering of NZ Bearhawks planned in March next year and I’ve already put my name down for a few other fly-ins. So far I’m enjoying the flying every bit as much as I thought would, and the whole project has been a very rewarding experience.
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