Bearhawk?

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poadeleted1

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Went out to a little grass strip this weekend and saw 3 or 4 Bearhawks. The designer lives up the road, but he was away. Place was lifeless, but I am going to go back and see what's shakin' after I call.....

Looks like an good design; good STOL characteristics, and good speed. Maybe it's the way to go?
 
Forgive my naievity - is a Bearhawk an airplane or a bird?
 
F.W. Birdman said:
Went out to a little grass strip this weekend and saw 3 or 4 Bearhawks. The designer lives up the road, but he was away. Place was lifeless, but I am going to go back and see what's shakin' after I call.....

Looks like an good design; good STOL characteristics, and good speed. Maybe it's the way to go?
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It's really ashame to design so much utility into an otherwise outstanding aircraft configuration and yet not have folding wings included, especially when one is essentially building from the ground up.
 
Pretty cool. "The Phoenix Bearhawk is IFR certified..." But the picture of the aileron pulley attached by a single hose clamp makes me wonder...
 
Dave Krall CFII said:
It's really ashame to design so much utility into an otherwise outstanding aircraft configuration and yet not have folding wings included, especially when one is essentially building from the ground up.
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In the world of kit built planes, how would one go about adding folding wings? Is it wide open to mods and builder beware or are there rules one must follow as far as building in accordance with the kit supplier's instructions and plans?
 
gkainz said:
In the world of kit built planes, how would one go about adding folding wings? Is it wide open to mods and builder beware or are there rules one must follow as far as building in accordance with the kit supplier's instructions and plans?
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It's the builder's plane so he can add in the folding design if he thinks he can do it. It's not a difficult thing, adding only a few pounds to GW and much better to have them engineered in right from the beginning, as many do.
 
OK, so 'splain to me wazzup with folding wings? We are not on an aircraft carrier. Hangar space is not that expesive, is it? And folding wings are another potential failure point, a weak link, so to speak.

Or is there some mystique, some magic that I fail to sense?
 
F.W. Birdman said:
OK, so 'splain to me wazzup with folding wings? We are not on an aircraft carrier. Hangar space is not that expesive, is it? And folding wings are another potential failure point, a weak link, so to speak.

Or is there some mystique, some magic that I fail to sense?
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Well, Kevin, in some parts of the country, if hangar space can be had at all it is outrageously expensive. With folding wings, you at least have the option to take it home and park it in your garage.

A properly designed folding wing is just as reliable as one that is fixed.
 
F.W. Birdman said:
OK, so 'splain to me wazzup with folding wings? We are not on an aircraft carrier. Hangar space is not that expesive, is it? And folding wings are another potential failure point, a weak link, so to speak.

Or is there some mystique, some magic that I fail to sense?
Click to expand...

I'm actually running low on space on my carrier plus, folding wings are inexpensive, simple, do not compromise strength, and open up lots of options for non-hangar storage and home repairs. Wings that are quickly removable are a compromising and much less desirable alternative.
 
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Dave Krall CFII said:
I'm actually running low on space on my carrier plus, folding wings are inexpensive, simple, do not compromise strength, and open up lots of options for non-hangar storage and home repairs. Wings that are quickly removable are a compromising and much less desirable alternative.
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I guess if you have someone from Grumman design your folding/locking wing assembly, then you are just fine. Otherwise, it's weight, parts and a design compromise. And more maintenance, even if it's just a tiny bit more.
 
F.W. Birdman said:
OK, so 'splain to me wazzup with folding wings? We are not on an aircraft carrier. Hangar space is not that expesive, is it? And folding wings are another potential failure point, a weak link, so to speak.

Or is there some mystique, some magic that I fail to sense?
Click to expand...
Hmmm, I have some time in a folding wing Grumman with no issues of it being a weak link. Well, except that one time, late at night, in Atlanta with a failure in a hydraulic component of the wing fold mechanism. I guess in retrospect, "get-home-itis" reared its head on that trip. Ground directed us into the wrong area that was too tight to turn around in (in hindsight, why we didn't just go to reverse prop and back out of the rat hole is beyond me). Anyway, folded the wings, turned around and found our Navy line shack. Shut down and offloaded piles (small piles, 'cause there's not much room in the back of an E-2) of personal crap of some Admiral (oops, did I just say that?) who shall go unnamed (unnamed because I honestly can't recall who it was). Sometime around 2200 we start back up, run thru the checks and go to spread the wings. In the E-2, they drop off the tail latch points, droop towards the ground and then sweep majestically into 'up and locked' Hey - the hummer can be "majestic"! :) Well, we got unlock, droop and ... uh, crap, one up and locked and one looking like a robin with a broken wing.

None of the troubleshooting procedures resolved the issue, but confirmed that the starboard wing was not going to go up and locked on its own power. Hmmm, sitting right beside the line shack is Tilly! (see http://www.btinternet.com/~a.c.walton/navy/smn-faq/slang2.htm) And the line crew has some nice, wide nylon straps... and the field closes in something like 30 minutes and we're scheduled to RON in Pensacola, not Atlanta... so, Tilly swings the wing into position, the lock pins fall in place, and we're airborne just as the field closes.

So, in my opinion, it's a cool factor! :):D

Edit - dang! I just realized I forgot to open the story with "Now this is no-s..t"
 
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