The Bearhawk LSA is an American amateur-built light-sport aircraft, designed by Bob Barrows and produced by Bearhawk Aircraft of

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. The aircraft is supplied in the form of plans or a kit for amateur construction.Bernard, Mary and Suzanne B. Bopp: ''Bearhawk Aircraft: Bearhawk LSA'', Kitplanes, Volume 29, Number 12, December 2012, pp. 23-24. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 102. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. The aircraft was introduced to the public at

AirVenture EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsi ...

2012.

Design and development

The Bearhawk LSA is a "clean sheet design" inspired by the larger Barrows Bearhawk. The LSA features a strut-braced high-wing, a

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

enclosed cockpit accessed by doors, fixed

conventional landing gear Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Term ...

and a single engine in

tractor configuration In aviation, the term tractor configuration refers to an aircraft constructed in the standard configuration with its engine mounted with the propeller in front of it so that the aircraft is "pulled" through the air. Oppositely, the pusher co ...

. The cockpit is wide. In 2015 a quick-build kit was introduced at the U.S Sport Aviation Expo. The aircraft

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

is fabricated from welded 4130 steel tubing covered in doped

aircraft fabric Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures. The de Havilland Mosquito is an example of this technique, as are ...

. The

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

structure wing, covered in flush riveted aluminum sheet, employs a new Harry Riblett-designed airfoil and does not have flaps. The wing is supported by a single strut per side. The engine power range is and the recommended engines include the

Continental A-65 The Continental O-170 engine is the collective military designation for a family of small aircraft engines, known under the company designation of A50, A65, A75 and A80. The line was designed and built by Continental Motors commencing in the 194 ...

Continental A-75 The Continental O-170 engine is the collective military designation for a family of small aircraft engines, known under the company designation of A50, A65, A75 and A80. The line was designed and built by Continental Motors commencing in the 194 ...

and the

Continental O-200 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in³ (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...

four-stroke powerplants. The aircraft was designed for a maximum gross weight of in the utility category, but is limited to in the US light-sport aircraft category.

Operational history

As of February 2016, four examples were registered in the United States with the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

Specifications (LSA)

References

External links

* {{Bob Barrows aircraft Homebuilt aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Light-sport aircraft LSA High-wing aircraft