Barrows Bearhawk
American homebuilt aircraft
title: "Barrows Bearhawk" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["homebuilt-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "1990s-united-states-civil-utility-aircraft", "barrows-aircraft", "high-wing-aircraft", "single-engined-piston-aircraft", "aircraft-with-fixed-conventional-landing-gear"] description: "American homebuilt aircraft" topic_path: "arts/film" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrows_Bearhawk" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American homebuilt aircraft ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Bearhawk |
| image | Bearhawk in flight.jpg |
| type | Amateur-built aircraft |
| national_origin | United States |
| manufacturer | Bearhawk Aircraft |
| designer | Bearhawk Aircraft |
| introduction | mid-1990s |
| status | In production (2017) |
| more_users | |
| produced | 2001–present |
| number_built | 78 (Bearhawk and Patrol models) |
| variants | Bearhawk Patrol |
| Bearhawk LSA | |
| Bearhawk 5 | |
| :: |
| name = Bearhawk | image = Bearhawk in flight.jpg | caption = | type = Amateur-built aircraft | national_origin = United States | manufacturer = Bearhawk Aircraft | designer = Bearhawk Aircraft | first_flight = | introduction = mid-1990s | retired = | status = In production (2017) | primary_user = | more_users = | produced = 2001–present | number_built = 78 (Bearhawk and Patrol models) | developed_from = | variants = Bearhawk Patrol Bearhawk LSA Bearhawk 5 ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Avipro_Bearhawk_N844EE_LKL_29.03.11R_edited-3.jpg" caption="AviPro Bearhawk"] ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Avipro_Bearhawk_(N303AP).jpg" caption="AviPro Bearhawk"] ::
The Bearhawk, is a line of light utility aircraft produced by Bearhawk Aircraft of Fairview, Oklahoma. The aircraft is supplied as a kit or as plans for amateur construction.
Design and development
The Bearhawk was designed in the early 1990s as a personal project by Barrows to carry aircraft engines for delivery as freight. It features a strut-braced high-wing, a four-seat enclosed cabin that is 42.5 in wide and accessed by doors, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.
The aircraft fuselage is made from welded steel tubing covered in doped aircraft fabric, while the wings are made from aluminum sheet. Its 33 ft span wing employs a NACA 4412 mod airfoil, has an area of 180 sqft and mounts flaps. The aircraft's recommended engine power range is 150 to and standard engines used include the 180 hp Lycoming O-360 and 250 hp Lycoming O-540 four-stroke powerplants. Construction time from the supplied kit is 1200 hours.
The prototype was fitted with a 170 hp Lycoming O-360 burning automotive fuel, but in August 2023, the option of fitting the DeltaHawk DHK180 type certified, two-stroke 180 hp diesel engine was added.
Operational history
By October 2016, 77 examples had been registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration and 11 with Transport Canada.
Variants
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Donald_M_Aldridge_-j_Hatcher_Fe_Bearhawk_Patrol(N774PK).jpg" caption="[[Barrows Bearhawk Patrol"] ::
;Bearhawk (4-Place Bearhawk) :Four seat model with a cabin 42.5 in wide and a gross weight of 2700 lb, with 75 reportedly completed and flown by December 2011. Employs a NACA 4412 airfoil. ;Bearhawk Bravo :Improved model introduced at AirVenture in July 2016. The wing has a 12 in greater span and 5 sqft greater area and employs a Riblett 30-413.5 airfoil, which gives a 5 to higher top speed while retaining a low stall speed. The redesigned airframe also uses aluminum fuselage formers, window sills and door sills, replacing the steel formers and sills in the original model, which provides better corrosion resistance and less weight. The landing gear struts are made of heavy-wall round cross section tubing rather than streamlined tubing, which provides more resistance to sideload failure. ;Patrol :Two-seats in tandem model with a cabin 32 in wide and a gross weight of 2000 lb, with three reportedly completed and flown by December 2011. ;Companion :Two-seats in side-by-side configuration model, with a gross weight of 2200 lb. First customer deliveries in October 2019.
Specifications (Bearhawk)
|ref=Kitplanes |prime units?=imp General characteristics
|genhide=
|crew=one |capacity=three passengers |length m= |length ft=23 |length in=6 |length note= |span m= |span ft=33 |span in= |span note= |height m= |height ft= |height in= |height note= |wing area sqm= |wing area sqft=180 |wing area note= |aspect ratio= |airfoil=NACA 4412 mod |empty weight kg= |empty weight lb=1400 |empty weight note= |gross weight kg= |gross weight lb=2700 |gross weight note= |fuel capacity=50 u.s.gal |more general= Powerplant
|eng1 number=1 |eng1 name=Lycoming O-540 |eng1 type=six cylinder, air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine |eng1 kw= |eng1 hp=250
|prop blade number=2 |prop name=constant speed |prop dia m= |prop dia ft= |prop dia in= |prop note=
Performance
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh= |max speed mph= |max speed kts= |max speed note= |cruise speed kmh= |cruise speed mph=155 |cruise speed kts= |cruise speed note= |stall speed kmh= |stall speed mph=40 |stall speed kts= |stall speed note= |never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |never exceed speed note= |range km= |range miles=625 |range nmi= |range note= |endurance= |ceiling m= |ceiling ft= |ceiling note= |g limits= |roll rate= |glide ratio= |climb rate ms= |climb rate ftmin=1700 |climb rate note= |time to altitude= |sink rate ms= |sink rate ftmin= |sink rate note= |lift to drag= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading lb/sqft=15 |wing loading note= |power/mass= |thrust/weight= |more performance= |avionics=
References
References
- Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, Volume 28, Number 12, December 2011, page 44. Belvoir Publications. ISSN 0891-1851
- Bearhawk Aircraft. (n.d.). "Bob Barrows Biography".
- Purdy, Don: ''AeroCrafter – Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, Fifth Edition'', page 232. BAI Communications, 15 July 1998. {{ISBN. 0-9636409-4-1
- Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015–16'', page 102. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. {{ISSN. 1368-485X
- Spangler, Cook. (19 July 2013). "The Airfoil Adventures of Harry Riblett". Kitplanes.
- Lednicer, David. (2010). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage".
- Cook, Marc. (7 August 2023). "Bearhawk Makes DeltaHawk An Option". AVweb.
- Federal Aviation Administration. (August 2025). "Make / Model Inquiry Results".
- Transport Canada. (27 October 2016). "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register".
- (July 27, 2016). "Bearhawk Announces The Bravo Model". AVweb.
- Cook, Marc. (26 August 2019). "Bearhawk Introduces Side-By-Side Companion". AVweb.
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