Bearhawk Aircraft introduces six-place aircraft

On 21 May, Bearhawk Aircraft announced the introduction of its largest Bearhawk model to date, the Bearhawk 5. The new aircraft was designed by engineer Bob Barrows and is the first in the line-up of Bearhawk aircraft to use a 300-horsepower engine, seat

According to test pilot Rollie van Dorn, the Bearhawk Model 5 made its first flight on 3 May and since then the prototype has flown more than five hours in testing and is exhibiting excellent flight characteristics. Further flight testing is expected to confirm the airplane’s projected 3,000 lb gross weight. The Bearhawk Model 5 has been under development for two years. Slightly wider and longer than the original four-place Bearhawk, the new design is powered by a spec-built Lycoming IO-580 engine. The first Bearhawk Model 5 was built in collaboration with avid Bearhawk builder Collin Campbell of Bolivar, Missouri. Collin has scratch built a fleet of different Bearhawk models and has a reputation for outstanding workmanship.

Mark Goldberg, President of Avipro / Bearhawk Aircraft, manufactures quick build kits of the Bearhawk models. Mark has been eager to announce the Model 5 for some time. Mark said: “Here is a brief history of how this design came about. A friend of design engineer Bob Barrows requested that Bob create a larger version of the Bearhawk 4-Place as he is a big guy. Bob did the drawings for his friend who began construction. However, health issues forced him to quit working on the project and it sat for about a year. One day I was talking to Collin Campbell who told me he was getting bored now that his Bearhawk LSA was finished and flying. A ‘light bulb’ suddenly came on in my head and thus a plan was hatched for Collin to finish the Model 5 project. There is no one in the world, except Bob himself, more qualified to have built this prototype than Collin.”

In many ways, the new Model 5 can be compared with the Bearhawk 4-place the way the Cessna 185 is compared with the Cessna 180. Just like the two Cessnas, both the Model 5 and 4-place use the same wing. The Cessna wing has 174 sq. ft of surface area whilst the Bearhawk wing has 186 sq. ft with its Riblett airfoil. Compared with the 4-Place Bearhawk, already bigger than a C-180, the Model 5 has a wider, longer fuselage and features a larger engine. Specifically, the Model 5 is two inches wider than the Bearhawk 4-place and its cabin is fourteen inches longer. Overall length of the Model 5 is twenty-four inches longer than the 4-place. There is room in the Model 5 for fifth and sixth seats in the back or, alternatively, extra cargo space. The Model 5 has considerably more interior room than a C-185.

Whilst the Bearhawk 4-Place can use four-cylinder Lycoming engines, up to the parallel valve O-540 series, the Model 5’s smallest engine will be the six-cylinder 250 / 260 hp Lycoming O-540. The Model 5 has the ability to use the heavier angle-valve cylinder Lycoming O-540 and IO-580 of 300 and 315 hp respectively.

The prototype Model 5 partly owes its outstanding performance to the Lycoming IO-580 at 315 hp. A three-blade Hartzell 82-inch diameter carbon fibre Trailblazer propeller completes the package with its really strong take-off thrust and climb. At a projected gross weight of 3,000 lb, with utility category strength at full gross, the 1,512 lb empty weight of the Model 5 results in a plane that is expected to carry double its own weight.

Cruise speeds around 160 mph are also expected as 156 mph TAS, at 3,500 ft and 24-squared, or 72-percent power, which was seen during tests. Reduced economy lean-of-peak fuel flow speeds of around 145-150 mph and 14.5 to 15 GPH are also anticipated. Take-off performance was 220 to 300 feet. Landings were kept to under 650 ft as the wet, muddy runway conditions in the very middle of the 1,350-feet runway allowed use of only half the strip. Rollie van Dorn reported: “Collin did a beautiful job building it and he and I worked together for the three days I was there to get as much done as we could. The Bearhawk Model 5 offered no surprises on take-off or climb out. With all that power, ‘things’ happen quickly.” Rollie also noted power-on stalls to be less than 40 mph.

The Bearhawk line-up includes two-place Patrol, Companion and LSA models.The 4-place and new Model 5 fill out the larger end of the line-up with excellent carrying capacity. All are available in kit or plans and excel at accessing remote airstrips. Two-place and four-place Bearhawk kits are now shipping, including a Bearhawk four-place Model B shipment to New Zealand. Bearhawk aircraft are renowned for their rugged construction and large cargo areas.