Homebuilt Aircraft

This is the Bearhawk that my Dad is currently building.  I have a fairly vast collection of photos of this project, but these are some of the more recent ones.  This is not his first homebuilt aircraft project, but is probably the most challenging yet.  He is building it from plans only, which means almost every part must be hand-made.

This is the fuselage, from 4130 chromium/molybdenum steel aircraft tubing.  Here, it has just been primered and painted, and has the first few pieces of aluminum skins temporarily attached. 

This is the fuselage as it looks today, with almost all of the aluminum skins, the Plexiglas windows and skylight, and the windshield temporarily attached.

This is a new Mattituck XP-360 engine, which is identical to the Lycoming 0-360.  This engine is specifically made for Experimental aircraft, although Mattituck will eventually get it approved for use in certificated aircraft.

 
This image gives you an idea of how much work is involved with building an aircraft from scratch.  Not only has each piece of the airframe and control system been custom made, but my Dad's level of precision craftsmanship is quite extraordinary.

This is a Hartzell constant speed prop, with an optional harmonic balancer that reduces vibration and allows use of all RPM ranges.  It's quite a work of art.

 
These are the aluminum flaps and ailerons, which will be covered with fabric, just like the fuselage and tail surfaces.  The main wing is all aluminum, aside from these control surfaces.  The Bearhawk is a rather new design from Bob Barrows, and is similar to many Maule aircraft in many ways... although the Bearhawk has a higher useful load).  The ribs for the main wing, the flaps, and the ailerons were all cut out of aluminum and hand shaped... a very time-consuming process, but quite rewarding and impressive.

For more information about the Bearhawk, join the Yahoo! Bearhawk Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bearhawk, or visit one of the sites referenced at http://members.tripod.com/~Knightflyer/BHLinks.html.

My Dad's past homebuilt projects & aircraft:

#1:  Zippy Sport.  This was a rather small and ugly 1-seat airplane that could almost qualify as an ultralight.  It was powered by a (I think) 60-hp motor, and was a high-wing fabric-covered monoplane with a 4130 C/M steel airframe.  This aircraft was crashed during high-speed taxi tests, although nobody was seriously injured.  The design was quite unique, and there were no proven engine/propeller combinations.  After trying about 6 different props, the plane finally had far more power than before.  During a run down the Bolivar Memorial airstrip (now closed), the plane jumped into the air (about 200 feet according to some witnesses, although my Dad doesn't recall and hardly believes this), then wingtip stalled and landed on its right wingtip.  The plane was sold as parts.

#2:  Van's Aircraft RV-6A.  This was a very nice plane, which my Dad built with the nose gear option.  The RV-6A is a 2-seat (side-by-side), all aluminum, low-wing sport aircraft.  The "RV" series of kits are one of the most popular homebuilt aircraft in the world, combining good looks with quality aluminum construction and excellent performance.  My Dad owned this plane for about 2 years, got an article printed in Kitplanes magazine, and then sold it and bought an old Cessna 170-B taildragger that was in excellent condition.

#3:  Next, my Dad rebuilt an old Aeronca Champ 7AC, from 2 "basket case" planes.  He rebuilt the plane from the ground up, then sold it.

#4:  Somewhere along the line, my Dad sold his Cessna 170-B and bought a 1993 Maule MX-7-160... which is a very nice plane with good performance.  He has owned this plane for about 5 years now, and continues to love it.  I've ridden in it several times, and I'd love to have one myself!

The Maule, sitting in the hangar at the new Bolivar airport.

#5:  The Bearhawk... to be continued.