Bearhawk Companion

The Bearhawk Companion is an American amateur-built aircraft, designed by Bob Barrows, that is produced by Bearhawk Aircraft of Austin, Texas, introduced in August 2019. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction, with first customer deliveries in October 2019.[1]

Companion
Role Amateur-built aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Bearhawk Aircraft
Designer Bob Barrows
First flight 21 May 2021
Status In production (2019)
Number built none
Developed from Bearhawk Patrol

Design and development

The design goals for the Companion were to produce an aircraft with the features of the Bearhawk Patrol, but with side-by-side configuration seating, in response to customer demand and a deposit from a launch customer.[1]

The Companion features a strut-braced high-wing, a two side-by-side seats in an enclosed cabin accessed by doors, fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration.[1]

The aircraft has a newly designed welded 4130 steel tubing fuselage, covered in doped aircraft fabric. The wing is identical to the Patrol wing and is made from aluminum sheet components and is covered in flush-riveted aluminum sheet. The acceptable engine power is 150 to 210 hp (112 to 157 kW) and will include four-stroke powerplants ranging from the Lycoming O-320 to the Lycoming IO-390.[1]

The first flight of a completed aircraft by the launch customer took place on 17 May 2021. The aircraft took ten months and 1,000 hours to complete.[2][3][4]

Operational history

A 2021 review in Aviation Pros called it "a very rugged utility plane with a large area for cargo."[3]

Specifications (Companion)

Data from AvWeb[1]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Stall speed: 35 mph (56 km/h, 30 kn)

References
  1. Cook, Marc (26 August 2019). "Bearhawk Introduces Side-By-Side Companion". AVweb. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  2. Taylor, Mike (17 May 2021). "First Customer-Built Bearhawk Companion Completed". Kitplanes. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  3. "Bearhawk Aircraft Announces First Flight of Side-by-Side". aviationpros.com. 17 May 2021. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  4. General Aviation News Staff (18 May 2021). "First flight for side-by-side Bearhawk". generalaviationnews.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
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