Bearhawk designer Bob Barrows — who designed the four-place Bearhawk and the two-place Bearhawk Patrol — has turned his attention to his next creation, the Bearhawk Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA).
Barrows, who unveiled his new LSA at AirVenture in Oshkosh this year, said the response was overwhelming, adding plans sales are going well.
Even though the new Bearhawk LSA looks similar to the Bearhawk Patrol, it is is really a clean sheet design, said company officials, who added the LSA sport an all-new airfoil designed, in part, by Harry Riblett.
The LSA construction is similar to Barrows’ previous projects, with the fuselage and tail surfaces using the traditional 4130 Chromalloy tube and fabric design. The wings are an all-aluminum, flush-riveted design, with a single strut.
The prototype LSA came in at 728 pounds empty weight, with an aluminum prop and no electrics. Barrows estimates that 750 pounds is a realistic empty weight for a builder who works hard to keep the airplane light. With the LSA maximum gross weight of 1,320 pounds, the new LSA has a “very respectable” useful load, company officials said. Barrows has said that the airplane is really designed for a maximum gross weight of 1,500 pounds, so there is a built-in margin of safety for those who do not have to fly under the LSA rules.
Barrows reports an economy cruise speed of about 100 mph, sipping only 4 gph with the 65-hp Continental engine. If you want to get there a bit faster, you can push it up in cruise to 120 mph burning about 6 gph, he said.
As of now the Bearhawk LSA is only available as a plans-build project, but Bearhawk Aircraft is in the process of tooling up to start manufacturing quick-build kits for the new LSA, just like it does for the four-place Bearhawk and two-place tandem Patrol.
Bearhawk LSA Specifications at 65/100 horsepower (Continental engines):
- Top Speed: 140mph
- Cruise Speed: 100-125mph
- Landing Speed: 30mph
- Fuel Capacity: 30 gallons
- Empty Weight: 750+ pounds
- Wing Span: 34 feet
- Wing Area: 170 square feet
- Length: 22 feet 3 inches
- Cabin Width: 31 inches
- Cabin Length: 97 inches
- Takeoff Roll: 200-400 feet
- Fuel Burn: 4-6 gallons per hour
- Gross Weight: 1320-1500 pounds (1320 lbs. if flown in LSA category)
For information on plans: Contact Bob Barrows, R & B Aircraft – 540-473-3661; For information on kits, contact Bearhawk Aircraft Co. – 877-528-4776 or BearhawkAircraft.com
