AUSTIN, Texas — Bearhawk Aircraft reports that the first kit-built Bearhawk Model 5 has made its first flight.
The new six-place design performed as expected during its first flight, according to Rollie Van Dorn, who flew the required first 25 hours in the first kit-built Bearhawk 5.
Van Dorn is a commercial airline pilot and has previously flown numerous other Bearhawk aircraft, including the Model 5 prototype.
Van Dorn said he flew 8.7 hours one day, making more than 20 landings in the new aircraft. To busy himself during the required 25 hours of local flying, he monitored speed and power. At 8,500 feet, the aircraft indicated 142 knots at 24-square. He also noted altitude was easily maintained with reduced power and fuel consumption was between 11.0 to 15.7 gallons per hour.
“The Model 5 lands nicely and goes really fast,” he said.
With the intake oriented forward, ram airflow helps improve fuel servo performance, he added
“I was able to skywrite and view BEARHAWK on my G3X and ADS-B displays. This made the time go by faster, but also heightened my appreciation for the Model 5’s agile flying qualities.”
The Bearhawk Model 5 was designed to use Lycoming engines from 250 to 315 horsepower. While the prototype used a 315-hp IO-580, this first kit completion used a 300-hp angle-valve IO-540. It swings a Hartzell 3-blade propeller.
Northeast STOL Series Win for Bearhawk
The Northeast STOL Series is a competition held during the summer at different locations in the northeastern U.S.
According to pilot Peter Brown, “While it’s smaller and draws a local crowd, it’s a great time and we enjoy the competition among friends.”
An association with Mark Goldberg, kit manufacturer of the Bearhawk lineup, led Brown to take temporary possession of the prototype Model 5, which Brown flew from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 to his home in the Northeast. Brown demonstrated the Model 5 in the region, including at STOL events. After a few months with the Model 5, he finalized the purchase of a Bearhawk Patrol.
After building time in his Patrol, Brown began competing in the Northeast STOL Series.
“Like anything it takes practice to be consistent with your landings, takeoffs, and learning the capabilities of your aircraft, but after a bit it started to work and I was able to move from a few third place finishes up to first and second place finishes,” he said.
Competing head-to-head with Super Cubs and Carbon Cubs, the Patrol performed well enough throughout the series in 2022 to take the overall win on total points.
Great to see the designs of my friend Bob Barrows continue to be improved. I flew into his short airstrip between mountain ridges some years ago in my 1952 C170B and was treated to a tour of his workshop, back when he had just started work on his LSA version. If I had the time, I would build a Patrol, but would keep it light and with far less power than the plane described here. Bob builds his planes roomy but light and strong, so they do well with a common O-320.