XHawk Build Log

Building a Bearhawk Patrol in metric land.

This is the XHawk project. Follow along as I build and flight test a Bearhawk Patrol. This bushplane stalls at 30 and cruises at 130 KTAS (35, 150 mph), has 9 hours of endurance, payloads 400kg (900 lbs), runs on a gravity-fed Lycoming O-360, and lands on shock-absorbed 26" tubeless tires. The engineering and design is beautifully simple.

This build is located in Austria and is one of very few Bearhawks in Europe. It is supervised by Austro Control (Austria’s FAA) and supported by the Igo Etrich Club Austria (Austria’s EAA). Build time is about 1200h 2000h 2300h and the goal is to start flight testing in 2023 2024.

For brevity this specific configuration of the Bearhawk Patrol is called XHawk throughout this log.

• 2021 May 20 - Taking Delivery of the Kit

• 2021 May 27 - Compiling Build Docs

• 2021 May 28 - Building by Subsystem

• 2021 June 07 - Fasteners Rundown

• 2021 July 08 - Fuel Selector Valve

• 2021 July 21 - Floor Panels

• 2021 Aug 28 - Galvanic Corrosion, in 218 Words

• 2021 Sep 14 - Rear Windows

• 2021 Sep 29 - Flap Control System

• 2022 Sep 03 - Avionics and Electrical

• 2022 Dec 22- Boot Cowling

• 2024 Sep 1 - Stewart System Overview

• 2023 Sep 30 - Covering Tail Feathers

• 2023 Oct 14 - Cowling

• 2024 Jan 21 - Instrument Panel

• 2024 May 6 - Air Intake