Source: 2023 Q2 Beartracks, Curtis Penner

Birthplaces. Starting points. Origins. We want to know about beginnings – ours and things that are important to us. Itasca State Park draws a million visitors a year because America’s lifeblood, the Mississippi, starts it’s journey there. Car enthusiasts tour the Bowling Green, Kentucky Corvette factory. As a farmer, I have journeyed to Iowa to go through the John Deere factory. Kits from Bearhawk SA are distributed all over the world. The idea of visiting the factory had come up in conversations with Mark Goldberg over the 5 years I have owned my Patrol. Last fall, plans were made for a February, 2023 trip. Leaving the Manitoba, Canada winter behind, I flew down to 9TE7 to take Mark up on his gracious offer of hangar space while a sunset United Airlines flight took my wife Beverly & I from Houston to Puebla, Mexico.

We were met at the airport by Agustin (factory manager) and his daughter Brenda who would be translator and tour guide for the duration of our visit. A 45 minute drive brought us to to Atlixco, a city of 125,000. After a good night’s sleep, and a great breakfast prepared by Agustin’s wife Sylvia, we headed out for the factory. 35 kits are produced by 35 workers in 7700 square feet of factory space each year, with current wait times for new orders at over 2 years. Capacity was doubled a year ago, and another expansion is being considered. Agustin’s warm welcome was a great start to our tour. Everyone was very accommodating and put a lot of effort into a “show and tell” for their guests that didn’t (unfortunately) understand Spanish. The care taken in measurements, the excellent welds, the dimensional consistency resulting from the use of the large jig inventory, and the obvious pride taken by Agustin and his staff in what they do reinforced my positive impression of the Bearhawk kit’s quality. It also made me realize (once again) that those who scratch build their aircraft are deserving of my utmost respect and admiration. Many thanks to Mark Goldberg, Agustin & Brenda, and the entire workforce at Bearhawk SA for their hospitality, their time, and their patience in sharing the story of the Bearhawk aircraft starting point.

Following the tour, Bev & I were privileged to spend another 4 wonderful days in Atlixco.