Where has this thing been all my life?
Would you be comfortable buying an experimental airplane like this?
Other than the experimental aspect, I don’t see why you would go with a Cessna 206 when this thing exists…
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@LeeGriffing what are you thoughts on these?
I am short listing this on my potential next airplane list!
I just like it more and more the more I research…
I don’t really like experimental that much but this would help consolidate for multiple missions. Seems like a great all in one!
I would have to go back and look, but I think this would hit all of the requirements I mentioned in that episode (with the bellypod 40gallon fuel bladder option they offer, 1,500 statue mile range with that and the extended tank option) PBI to 88D
Yeah, you’d be way short if only using their standard long range 74Gal. capacity option. That IO540 is pretty thirsty. 16-18gph to get the 150mph they’re claiming.
Yeah, I think I would need to do the build assist as well… @TylerBrunkhorst how have you found the world of building an airplane to be? Is it what you expected? Going at the speed you expected? Etc.
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EAA Chapter 50’s newest member over here! 
@RobertBerger I like the Van’s aircraft, the AirCam, the Rans S-21 is growing on me and that Bearhawk is fascinating. I don’t know anything about the manufacturer to really weigh in on the quality of the product. I’m just selective.
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I admire the builders who are empty nesters without children or other hobbies that can knock these out.
Having a full time job isn’t the problem for consumption of time, but all the “after work” hours that consume and work against your ability to make progress. The kids need transport to their extra curricular activities, got to feed them, the dog needs to get his “steps in”, etc.
Like eating an elephant, one bite at a time, it’s possible but even then maintaining persistence or some kind of discipline to keep going is the hardest part. Fabricating from plans, basic tools isn’t too difficult as it’s just repetitive. Paying close attention to the plans and following through to ensure maximum quality and reduce waste if you mess something up because that’s most likely to happen early on when you’re learning to work with metal and the craftmanship required with flush riveting instead of just being a knuckle dragging gorilla leaving dimples everywhere.
Costs are absurd for avionics and powerplants. Van’s recently had a debacle with laser cut parts creating scrapped parts and wasted time. This contributed to Van’s moving into bankruptcy but emerged from Chapter 11 in 2024 thankfully.
I think experimental are the way to go if you build it yourself and have the time. Since you’ll know it like the back of your hand in the end. I’m less inclined to buy someone else’s project since I’m unaware of the actual build methodology and details like what primer was used. A major bonus is being able to work on it yourself and cut out the A&P though once you buy someone else’s build, that A&P scenario comes back.
Most RV’s I see for sale have some horrific paint or panels choices, but probably fly fine. I just see some of those oddball avionic choices as, like, what else did they cut corners on to be frugal. Yellow to red-ish flags but those are mitigated with a realllllly indepth inspection and interview with the builder more so than buying a certificated aircraft and checking the logs.
In summary:
Progress is being made but, man, it’s a lot.
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WOW
That all makes sense!
I just feel realistically for me to build something like a Bearhawk 5, I would be looking at least 5+ years. The build assist is 5 months… but it’s an extra $100,000.
Bearhawk claims its a 1,200 hour build, but I have heard the owner Virgil Irwin say in interviews something along the lines of… if you’re building something as big as a Bearhawk 5 as your first build you can expect to double that time.
Then I think of all the space I would need to build it… all of the new tools I would need to buy… how much mental energy it would take away from my other projects…
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The Bearhawk looks great and a great all around heavy hitter.
Check out Bushliner that is another local company to me and I’ve actually been contributing on with design and 3D illustrations for engineering.
Essentially a modernized Cessna 185 that’ll be offered in certificated and experimental build versions. The special missions variant is badass.
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Dammit Tyler… I don’t have time this week for this sort of rabbit hole!! haha
That definitely looks worth looking into though.
I like the certification potential.
What kind of price do you think they would be bringing once certified?
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Probably north of 300k for the kit and around 800 certified.
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I remember these after taking a little look.
@LeeGriffing and I were nerding out over these a couple of years ago…
They are awesome, but pricey.
The Bearhawk is within the bounds of reality price wise in 3-5 years, the Bushliner (although probably worth the $$) Would push my airplane purchasing back further than I want…
I MISS HAVING AN AIRPLANE, so don’t want to wait longer! haha
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These are incredible multi-mission aircraft… I just know with that kinda speed and range on full tanks, I’ll have to piss before you’ll need fuel. But having the capacity allows you to pick how you wanna do it for the mission of the day.
It’s experimental, so you can do all sorts of mods…
One of my mods would be a proper hose setup for pilot relief.
That way whenever I am doing long solo X-Country’s, it wouldn’t be an issue… Other than for people on the ground! 