Bearhawk (4-Place / Patrol / LSA / Model 5)

The Bearhawk is a family of steel-tube-and-fabric, high-wing, aluminum-winged bush utility kitplanes designed by mechanical engineer Bob Barrows. Barrows set out in the early 1990s to create a four-seat homebuilt with Piper PA-18 Super Cub manners and Cessna 180 hauling ability — short field performance plus a real useful load — without the maintenance headaches of 70-year-old certified metal.

The original 4-Place first flew in 1995 and was sold as plans-built for many years before quick-build kits became available through AviPro of Atlixco, Mexico (Mark Goldberg). Today the kit distributor is Bearhawk Aircraft LLC, headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells quick-build airframe, wing, and fuselage kits for the entire lineup. The company changed hands in 2024 but the design lineage and Bob Barrows's involvement have continued.

The family now comprises four distinct airframes:

• Bearhawk 4-Place (1995+) — the original, a 4-seat hauler typically flown with Lycoming O-540 power
• Bearhawk Patrol (2005+) — a 2-place tandem "modern Super Cub" sized between the Cub and the 4-Place
• Bearhawk LSA (2014+) — a 2-place side-by-side light sport kit designed around the Continental O-200
• Bearhawk Model 5 (introduced 2020) — a stretched, heavier 4-to-5-place with up to 315 HP and near-1,500 lb useful load

A newer two-seat side-by-side Companion kit has also been announced by the company. There are roughly 300+ Bearhawks flying worldwide, a population that has been growing rapidly as kits became available and word spread through the backcountry community.

Construction across the family is consistent: 4130 chromoly steel-tube fuselage, fabric covered, with all-aluminum single-strut wings using a Harry Riblett airfoil. The result is docile stall manners, impressive short-field numbers, and a very rugged, field-repairable structure. Reputation among owners: honest, truckish, strong, and cheap to keep flying relative to a cessna-180-skywagon or cessna-185-skywagon.

The 4-Place with an O-540 is the numbers everyone quotes and it delivers: ~130 KTAS cruise, 1,000–2,000 fpm climb, ground rolls in the 300–500 ft range at typical operating weights. Range runs 650–900 statute miles depending on engine, power setting, and tankage. Landing speeds are genuinely low — touch down around 40 mph — because of the Riblett airfoil and relatively low wing loading.

Real-world cruise is close to book in the 4-Place, unlike some bush designs where draggy landing gear and large tires eat speed. Owners running 29" bushwheels lose ~5 kt but keep most of the cruise. With 180–200 HP (O-360) in the 4-Place, expect noticeably degraded climb and short-field performance — the 260 HP O-540 is the sweet spot for the original and is what ~75% of the flying fleet uses.

The Patrol with 180 HP is essentially a piper-pa18-super-cub competitor that cruises 20+ mph faster and carries more. The LSA is light-sport legal at 1,320 lbs but built to 1,500 lb utility strength, giving it a real safety margin for rough operations.

Density altitude behavior is excellent across the line — big wings, plenty of power in the 4-Place and Model 5, and low stall speeds make high-and-hot strips very manageable.

Bearhawk 4-Place (O-540, 2,500 lb MTOW, 50 gal, ~1,200 lb useful load):

• Full fuel (300 lb) + 2 adults (400 lb) + 500 lb baggage/cargo — easy, well under gross, ~5+ hour endurance = ~650 nm range
• Full fuel + 4 adults (800 lb) — 1,100 lbs loaded on a 1,200 lb useful load: fits with moderate baggage. This is the headline capability that separates the Bearhawk from the piper-pa18-super-cub and most STOL competition.
• Short-field max payload — reduce fuel to 25 gal, carry 1,050 lb of people + gear, 300 nm range with VFR reserves

Bearhawk Model 5 (IO-540/IO-580, 3,000 lb MTOW, ~1,488 lb useful load):

• Full fuel + 4 adults + 300 lb cargo — no compromise
• 5-up with reduced fuel — genuinely viable, making the Model 5 the only homebuilt that competes with a cessna-185-skywagon for family-hauling bush missions

Bearhawk Patrol (O-360, 2,000 lb MTOW, ~850 lb useful load):

• Full fuel (55 gal / 330 lb) + pilot + passenger + 170 lb gear — typical camping load
• Solo + full fuel — very long legs for a Super Cub-class airplane (~6 hours)

Bearhawk LSA (O-200, 1,320 LSA / 1,500 utility):

• Two adults + full fuel in LSA weight — tight, often requires fuel reduction for two 200 lb pilots. Utility-category 1,500 lb option solves this for non-LSA operation.

Compared with the rest of the backcountry field, the Bearhawk family offers the best useful-load-per-dollar of any kit airplane: you can build a 4-Place that hauls more than a cessna-180-skywagon for half the purchase price, and a Model 5 that nearly matches a cessna-185-skywagon for a fraction of a 185's market value.

• Backcountry/Bush (9) — This is the Bearhawk's native environment. STOL numbers, low landing speed, rugged tube fuselage, and trailing-link-style gear handle rough strips as well as a cubcrafters-xcub-top-cub while carrying far more. See backcountry-bush.
• Cargo Hauling (9) — Square cabin, high door, big useful load. The 4-Place will haul four adults with full fuel, and the Model 5 will carry its own empty weight. Best-in-class among homebuilts. See cargo-hauling.
• Local Fun (8) — Honest, simple, and endlessly satisfying for a builder/owner. Docile stall.
• Cross-Country (7) — 130+ KTAS and 800 nm range make it a legitimate touring airplane, though cabin noise and ergonomics favor rugged utility over long-legged comfort.
• Surveying (7) — Good visibility, slow flight ability, endurance.
• Flight Training (4) — Experimental; taildragger; not usable for primary certified training, though excellent for tailwheel transition in a personal context.
• Business Travel (4) — Experimental category and tube/fabric appearance limit client impressions; IFR possible but not the ideal platform.
• Aerobatics (1) — Not designed or rated for it.

Because Bearhawks are experimental, builders can install any non-TSO glass they want. Typical panel tiers:

• VFR bush panel ($6K–$12K) — Garmin G5 or Dynon D3, basic engine monitor, handheld or portable GPS, iPad for navigation, one com radio. Common on backcountry-focused 4-Place builds.
• Dual-screen EFIS ($18K–$30K) — Dynon SkyView HDX or Garmin G3X Touch, integrated engine monitor, autopilot servos, ADS-B In/Out (GDL 82 / GTX 45R), one or two com radios. The current default for new quick-builds.
• Full IFR glass ($35K–$55K) — G3X Touch with GTN 650Xi or GPS 175, integrated autopilot, backup G5, TSO'd nav/com. Some 4-Place and Model 5 builds go here for cross-country work.

See avionics-pricing. Experimental builders routinely get certified-equivalent capability for 40–60% of a comparable Part 23 panel install.

STCs don't apply to experimental aircraft, but common modifications and options include:

• Engine choices — The 4-Place has been flown behind O-360 (180 HP, economy build), O-540 (260 HP, standard), and IO-540 (260–300 HP). Model 5 supports up to IO-580 at 315 HP.
• Constant-speed props — Hartzell Trailblazer or MT composite constant-speed props are the standard upgrade over fixed-pitch, and Hartzell has published propeller approvals specifically for Bearhawk (I)O-360 and O-540 installs.
• Floats — The 4-Place is float-rated by the designer at 2,700 lbs MTOW with appropriate floats; straight and amphibious installs are documented.
• Big tires / bushwheels — 26", 29", and 31" Alaskan Bushwheels are common.
• Extended-range tanks — Factory kit includes 50 gal (4-Place); auxiliary tankage in the wings can push total fuel well beyond that for ferry/remote ops.
• Cargo pods — Belly pods increase hauling capability for remote camp supply missions.

• Parts availability: good. Bearhawk Aircraft LLC stocks airframe parts, and the engines (O-320 / O-360 / O-540 / O-200) are the most common GA powerplants in existence with universal parts support. Fabric, tubing, and hardware are all standard aircraft stock.
• Mechanic familiarity: common. As an experimental owner-maintained airplane, the builder (if original) holds the repairman certificate and can do all maintenance. For non-builder owners, any A&P can sign off a condition inspection, and Cub/Husky-experienced shops handle Bearhawks without difficulty.
• Annual condition inspection: typically $800–$2,000 for a builder-owner, $1,500–$3,000 for non-builder owner at a shop.
• Expected annual operating cost (100 hr/yr, 4-Place O-540): $8,000–$12,000 including fuel, insurance, hangar, reserves.
• Expensive items: engine overhaul ($30K–$40K), prop overhaul ($3K–$5K), fabric recover ($10K–$20K every 15–25 years), bushwheel replacement.

See maintenance-ecosystem.

Used market pricing for flying 4-Place Bearhawks (2026):

• $60K–$90K — Older builds, run-out engines, steam gauges, cosmetic/fabric issues, or unproven builder pedigree
• $100K–$140K — Typical nice 4-Place: mid-time O-540, dual EFIS, clean fabric, known builder
• $150K–$200K+ — Fresh engine, late quick-build, full Garmin/Dynon glass, floats or bushwheels, documented history
• $210K+ — AviPro quick-build or Model 5 with premium panel

The used market is tight — good Bearhawks rarely last more than a week or two before selling. Values have risen notably over the last five years; a 2019 "typical" $60K price is now $100K+. Kit-only prices run roughly $40K–$75K for the airframe kit (wing + fuselage quickbuild), and flying cost-to-completion is $100K–$200K depending on engine and panel. The new Companion quickbuild was announced at $44K with a $70K–$90K total project cost.

Engine condition dominates valuation; a fresh IRAN or overhaul on the O-540 is worth $25K–$35K in resale. Panel upgrades to modern glass recover 50–70% at sale. See valuation-methodology.

Experimental amateur-built aircraft are not subject to FAA Airworthiness Directives. However, the Bearhawk community tracks known issues informally via the Bearhawk Forums and factory service bulletins:

• Builder quality is the dominant risk factor — welds, rigging, fuel system plumbing, and fabric work quality vary widely between builders. A pre-buy inspection by a Bearhawk-experienced A&P or builder is essential.
• Fabric life — Poly-Fiber and Stewart Systems coverings typically last 15–25 years depending on storage; re-cover is a $10K–$20K job.
• Landing gear welds — Check root-weld and axle areas for cracks after rough-field operation.
• Engine hours — Most Bearhawks have mid-time O-540s; treat any run-out engine as a $35K+ overhaul item against the asking price.
• Wing strut inspection — Standard Cub-like annual inspection of strut fittings and jury struts.

Bearhawks are experimental taildraggers, which places them in the higher-risk bucket for underwriters. Typical insurance profile for a 4-Place:

• Hull insurance: ~1.5%–2.5% of hull value annually (so $1,800–$3,500 on a $140K airplane)
• Liability: $500K smooth often available with 500+ hours TW and a Bearhawk/Cub checkout; $1M smooth harder to find
• Underwriters: Avemco, Old Republic, BWI, Falcon — the same handful that write experimental bush aircraft
• Checkout required: 5–10 hours dual in type or in a comparable taildragger (PA-18, Citabria, C-180)
• Minimum PIC experience: Low-time and zero-tailwheel pilots face very high rates or declinations

Premiums rise significantly with bushwheels, floats, and remote/off-airport operations. See insurance-underwriting.