Source: 2007 Q2 Beartracks, Bob Barrows
The tail wires & wire ends shown are as used on Bearhawk Proto I & II and Patrol. These wires have worked well for over 1600 combined hours of flight with only some repainting needed. Bob Continue reading
Pirep – Trip to Sun-n-Fun 2007
Source: 2007 Q2 Beartracks, Kevin Deutscher
My interest in this trip was to see the Bearhawk operate in a real world environment and use that information to assist in selecting components and configuring my Bearhawk. There are a zillion compromises made in a project like this and we all hope to make correct choices and have something to be proud of when complete. The other purpose is to obtain some real performance data. Continue reading
Wing Strut assembly Tip
Source: 2007 Beartracks, Bob Barrows
Shown below are photo’s of Dave Bice’s (serial #704) wing strut being fitted to the strut ends. Continue reading
Making Beartracks ‘Reality Check’
Source: 2007 Q2 Beartracks, Pat Fagan
The Mojave Desert is a place dear to my heart where I have had the most incredible adventures and made many wonderful memories. Unfortunately, it has now taken on a new meaning for me. This is where my dreams ended. Continue reading
Noodling Bearhawk Weight and Balance, Part 2
Source: 2007 Q1 Beartracks, Rob Gaddy. Click here for Noodling Bearhawk Weight and Balance, Part 1
Before we begin, I made an error in Part I of this article. In Figure 3 the weight on the main gear should be 1,196 pounds, not the 1,271 pounds shown. The 1,196 pounds is just the measured weight on the main tires, the 600 pounds for the right gear plus the 596 pounds for the left gear. Since we were summing the moments around the main gear, the error did not affect the calculation.
Continue reading
Early 2007 Builder Updates
Peter Stevens plane at Oshkosh:
When EAA officials pulled Peter Steven’s BH out of the AviPro booth toward the flightline, we didn’t know where they were going to park him. Well, they decided such a fine plane deserved to be parked in Air Show Central among some good company. N27PS spent the night between an F-16 & the Sikorsky Johnson Wax Amphib.
Here is Ross Hauck’s scratch built fuselage (with AviPro landing gear) standing proudly on its gear. Ross has plans #906, and lives in Montrose, Colorado.
Mike Bond
I am a machinist/mechanic by trade and just like to build things. My wife is my # 1 supporter, she helps me drill the wing and buck rivets and is my constant companion. I have a complete machine shop at my home so metal forming, tig welding or turning parts is not a problem. Shears, brakes, presses, it’s all here.
I have been on my plans built project for almost 4 years and the wings are done except gas tanks and the fuselage is ready for paint. I’m about 8 months on it.
Pilot door and body, an 8 month journey: 8 months on the first wing, 3 on the second. There is a learning curve! I work on it in my spare time, I think I’m at about 1700 hours. Power will be a IO-470 Continental. 265 HP and a McCauly 2 blade variable speed prop. Sky light over head. I burnished my landing gear strut cylinders and chromed the shafts: no rust and a mirror surface for seals. I made male and female dies to build all my wing parts. To cut out deburr and shape took a week. I put sealed roller bearing in the control column, it’s smooth as glass and is rock solid.
I put window struts in: one push and it’s out of the way. I have more cylinders if anyone likes the idea. My passenger door, designed by Bob for me with 1944 Luscomb window frames.
Angel Point
Source: 2007 Q1 Beartracks, Pat Fagan
Stars, stars, stars, and more st…, well, you get the picture. Angel Point is a star gazers paradise, but more about that later. Angel Point is located in the Canyonlands region of SE Utah. The coordinates are Continue reading