Building The Perfect Ranch Plane In Our Garage

[@markperkins5664]

Congratulations! Welcome to the club! There is a builder near me that just took delivery of his “5” kit. Can’t wait to check it out. I just took delivery of my Kitfox STi kit. Both of us are first time builders. I’m excited to jump right in and make some progress. Let the journey begin!

[@ColbyOsborn]

Thanks Mark, enjoy your build! The STi will be fun to build and a lot of fun to fly!

[@johnmcneal9477]

The timing of your video series is just what I am looking for. We also own a large agricultural piece of property about 330 road miles from home and it can be up to a 5 hour drive on a normal trip. My flying friends keep suggesting that we must get a STOl style of aircraft if we want to be true Alaskans aviators. But what we really need is something with a bit more speed and loading capacity then the cub style aircraft. I will be watching and paying attention to your building adventure. So let the build begin!

[@ColbyOsborn]

I think most aviators agree that all of the Bearhawk models are solid STOL aircraft. There are a lots of great options for 2 place STOL aircraft on the market. A few that land and take off a little shorter, but not many that can cruse as fast. There are far fewer STOL aircraft capable of hauling multiple people and significant cargo, unless we're talking mega $$$. Sounds like you're on the right track, and like you're living the dream!

[@benc1103]

Thanks for posting. I'm planning on building a Model 5 and now getting things set up and organized. It's nice to watch your videos and get a look at the " lay of the land". Like you, I wanted a bush plane that can carry a bunch of stuff. I wanted the same capability as my Cessna 195 (a little bigger than a C185 for those not familiar). I did a lot of restoration work on it: new panel and completely re-wired it. No issues working with the FAA and IA--they were great. But I'd like to be able to sign off my own maintenance and annuals at some point and the 195 isn't getting any younger. Someday a new caretaker will keep it flying. The Bearhawk 5 is the perfect replacement (although I'll probably keep both planes :) The bottom like is that I like building stuff and the BH 5 is like ending up with a brand new C195 (well, except for that wonderful radial engine sound. I'll have to put a radial engine noise audio file on my iPhone and bluetooth it to my headset :)

[@ColbyOsborn]

A C195 and a BH!?! You’ll be the envoy of most any man!

[@duncanclausen8906]

Looking forward to following your build!

[@ColbyOsborn]

Thanks! Looking forward to having you along.

[@MagnumLapua338]

AWESOME, we are going to build the model 5. We bought some land in MT and have a road near by that is slight slope but 1500 feet dirt and gravel.

[@ColbyOsborn]

That's awesome! You shouldn't have any trouble finding beautiful places to fly in that part of the world.

[@joshduff8989]

Nice, work Osborns! As we discovered your video, my wife and I are sitting here with Bearhawk plans spread out on the breakfast table, and our two blue merle border collies wrestling on the floor. You have great taste in dogs and planes! :)

[@ColbyOsborn]

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume your household likes being outside and busy.

[@nelsonmartinmusic]

I clicked subscribe pretty fast when I heard you say "Bearhawk 5". I've been fascinated by the new model since it came out. I think the Bearhawk fits a unique niche and the 5 model adds some extra room yet. I dream of putting an LS engine in one, since you can get close to the weight of the angle-valve 540 even with a reduction drive while using less fuel and more power. It's way less money, but added engineering since there is no firewall-foreward LS swap for the Bearhawk yet.

[@kylanlarsen6752]

Same here, check out these guys, I’ve been researching LS engine conversions for years and these guys seem to have it figured out! corsairpower.com

[@nelsonmartinmusic]

@@kylanlarsen6752 Very interesting, I hadn't seen their site before. I'm curious what engine theirs is based on and what power and weight specs are, but I couldn't find it in their site.

[@kylanlarsen6752]

@@nelsonmartinmusic from what I’ve been able to gather it’s a modified marinized ls3 with a modified Ballistic airboat gearbox.

[@kr6dr]

Great introduction to your new project. I’ll be following along with your journey as I build my first plane, a Fisher Super Koala.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Nice! Hope you enjoy your build.

[@countryflyer4536]

The bearhawk is a great plane, Ive been in a Patrol from Colorado to my ranch south/west of Rushville. Your pics of the Angus on pasture look's like our Sandhill Country. The Patrol is much better in our area as it will land and take off in a much shorter distance. I wiil sub to your channel!! Didnt realize where you were located in NE on my first comment!!!

[@ColbyOsborn]

Home base for us is right in the middle of the Sandhills. Near Mullen. C180's have been a popular ranch plane in our area for a long time. I think our Model 5 will be similar, so I hope it serves us well.

[@sirnewton6874]

Two thumbs up Colby

[@calvynvandenberg6943]

Well thought out!

[@av8rk9]

Congrats ... look forward to your up-dates

[@russellesimonetta3835]

Great choice! Certified is 4 to 5 × the price for avionics alone. For your mission it's more than enough.

[@LTVoyager]

How so? The avionics for an experimental are generally less costly than for a certified airplane.

[@russellesimonetta3835]

@@LTVoyager uhhh, did you read what I said about certified avioninc?? I said they are 4 to 5 times the cost,i e more expensive!

[@LTVoyager]

@@russellesimonetta3835 You said four to five times the price for the avionics alone. Alone, means only the avionics, so you wrote that the avionics alone were four to five times more expensive, which isn’t true. It sounds like what you meant to say was that a new airplane is four to five times more expensive than just the avionics for an experimental, but that is not what the sentence you wrote says.

[@LTVoyager]

Your decision process was pretty close to mine. I ended up going with the S-21 as I was OK with the 12 month wait (I got my kit July of 2020 almost exactly a year after I placed my order) and I did not need 4 seats after having owned a 182 for many years and almost every using the rear seats. I don’t think 5% of my flights had anyone in the back. And the completeness of the RANS kit was attractive, but the BearHawk is certainly a great choice from what I’ve read.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Nice! Hope you’re enjoying your build.

[@LTVoyager]

@@ColbyOsborn So far, so good. Tail done, wings in progress.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Fantastic! Have you decided on a powerplant?

[@LTVoyager]

@@ColbyOsborn Yes and no. If RANS reconsiders and offers a FWF package for the 915iS, I would like to go that route. However, if not, I will go with the Titan x340 and most likely use SDS ignition and fuel injection. Still pondering the prop, but I got used to a CS in my 182 so probably will use a CS of some flavor. How about you?

[@yavoz.]

I’ve rewatched this video 10 times I think

[@rileysmith8980]

Watching this closely. The Bearhawk is on my short list.

[@ColbyOsborn]

Narrowing down the list is part of the fun. Enjoy!

[@AeroworksProductions]

Fellow builder, always interested in what others are building. Looks like a great choice for your mission. If you get time have a look at my build series. Good luck with your build.

[@FilthZeroTwo]

The Draco fall off was silly lol

[@customafd248]

Keep the videos coming!

[@chaddthompson]

Just wondering what you guys have budgeted for the entire build? What are your plans for the engine?

[@ColbyOsborn]

The engine is on our long list of undecided options. Given this long list, the cone of uncertainty for our project cost is still fairly large. An overhauled angle value Lycoming iO-540 is a likely option for us. I'm hoping the complete project comes in around 120K.

[@russellesimonetta3835]

Uhh certain experimental's like the bearhawk and the Mustang ll don't come up for sale very often! That's because 10 or more people leave their phone number with you if you ever want to sell!!

[@nyangnitolimeshach4859]

Please sir can I have the fuselage construction step by step process of constructing it

[@onethousandtwonortheast8848]

I’ve been seriously considering building the BD-4c but you’ve got me looking at the BH5. Why did you not consider the Bede 4?

[@ColbyOsborn]

That honestly wasn’t one on my radar. First glance it looks like a great option. I think the BH will still fit my mission better as it looks to fly quite a bit slower and I think the gear and tail will hold up better to routine use out of a rough field.

[@onethousandtwonortheast8848]

@@ColbyOsborn I hadn’t thought of that when I wrote my comment to you. I guess 30 mph difference really isn’t that much when really most of us aren’t able to be in the plane for more than 3 hours at a time. I wonder what the median span is for most cross country GA flights? I am thoroughly enjoying your channel. Thank you!

[@ColbyOsborn]

@@onethousandtwonortheast8848 Don’t get me wrong, I want as fast a cruise speed as possible, but I think we’ll need the slower landing speeds of the BH. Appreciate the comments and complement. Hope you enjoy building whatever aircraft you end up choosing!

[@shahram677]

Hey,thanks for your nice videos Don't mind if I ask how much this kit+engine would cost? Good luck with your project !

[@ColbyOsborn]

Thanks! I think the kits are currently 58k. If you choose to use an iO-540 Lycoming engine, that ranges from 60k-15k. From new to used and everything in between. This doesn’t include prop and avionics, which range in price tremendously, depending on your preferences.

[@carolinabearhawk8132]

Oh yea, Model 5 time! Figured out an engine yet? Old and tested or lean and mean like a Hawk V-4? (Like all the “new” engines, if it ever actually comes out)

[@ColbyOsborn]

Something like a Higgs Diesel would be the dream power plant! Unfortunately, given my lack of experience and knowledge I'm going to largely default to the designers recommendations for this build. I'll probably end up using a 250-260 hp parallel valve 540, but cg considerations might push me towards the heavier 300 hp angle valve 540. I'd also love to enjoy the benefits of fuel injection, but I haven't decided if I'll ignore the designer's recommendation of using a carburetor for fuel metering or not. Lots of exciting decisions to make. I'll be learning as much as I can from all of you smarter and more experienced builders before I make them. So don't hold back on the thoughts and suggestions!

[@carolinabearhawk8132]

@@ColbyOsborn Sounds like we are in a similar position then! My background in engineering repairs in the aerospace sector made me definitely understand the “best” decision is usually a blend of the engineering reasons with the “hands-on-in-reality” experienced reasons. I’ll be keeping up with your build to glean what I can learn for my own decision making! I think I’m almost certainly going to go with fuel injection if I go with a lycoming engine, with adequate temp sensors for cylinders, exhaust, oil...and variable cooling?(cowl flaps?) with the mindset that the tech is proven enough while flying VFR and 95% of the time with daylight in the event that an emergency landing is needed. Good thing the engine decisions don’t have to finalized for a while during the build :P

[@ColbyOsborn]

@@carolinabearhawk8132 The Lycoming setup you've explained is right in line with what I'd really like to have. I'd like to consider 0-100 F normal OATs with occasional use in both colder and warmer temps. Being able to maintaining "normal" CHT and oil temps for this OAT range is something I'd really like to achieve. So I think cowl flaps will likely be a tool I use as well.

[@santho_4592]

Do you have the exact frame outline ?

[@pilot41186]

The only spec not on there is the width and headroom at the third seat!????

[@ColbyOsborn]

I’ll grab some measurements for you when back to my project in a few days if you’re interested.

[@pilot41186]

@@ColbyOsborn that would be amazing!! I'd really appreciate that

[@ColbyOsborn]

Ok, mine measures 33.25 inches from the “seat pan” to the bottom of the upper fuselage tubes that run through that area. And about 33 inches wide at shoulder height. That’s with no seat cushion, ceiling, or other interior finishes.

[@pilot41186]

@@ColbyOsborn perfect thanks colby!

[@قلبالحبوحزين]

Hi sir I want build bush plane at home. Please guide me me. Where I can get or buy blueprint or design of bush plane. Because I have not Idia how to build or design bush plane Kit . This is my big wish that I build back country stole plane in my country. Please Guide me . Thank you

[@D_Cali_Life]

How many people fit in there ?

[@ColbyOsborn]

The kit comes with 6 seats. The back bench seat is pretty small and would only be comfortable for two small kids. We’re building it as a 4-place and expect it to fit four adults and still have quite a bit of room for luggage.

[@dc8man2]

I like your videos but please turn down that intro music. I want to fallow your progress but hate to suffer through that every time. Thanks for your consideration and good luck with your build

[@ColbyOsborn]

Appreciate the tip and the well wishes. The tremendous variability in frequency response found in the wide range of speakers people use when watching KZbin videos isn’t something I even thought about when trying to learn how to edit. I just figured if it was balanced on the sound system my computer was plugged into, it was good to go. I’m now learning the curve of this system is significantly different than many. I’m trying to improve. But at the end of the day, you get what you pay for. 😁

[@dc8man2]

@@ColbyOsborn "Get what you pay for.". LOL isn't that true. Well in this case I think it is a pretty good deal for me. I enjoy your videos and think they are well thought out, shot and edited . Keep up the good work and, happy landings, when the time comes.

[@قلبالحبوحزين]

Hi sir I want build bush plane at home. Please guide me me. Where I can get or buy blueprint or design of bush plane. Because I have not Idia how to build or design bush plane Kit . This is my big wish that I build back country stole plane in my country. Please Guide me . Thank you

[@قلبالحبوحزين]

Hi sir I want build bush plane at home. Please guide me me. Where I can get or buy blueprint or design of bush plane. Because I have not Idia how to build or design bush plane Kit . This is my big wish that I build back country stole plane in my country. Please Guide me . Thank you