9 Month Walk Around

March 2019 marks the 9th month of my Bearhawk build.  I am finally feeling like there is light at the end of the tunnel!  I know for certain that my next build will go much quicker having established tools and processes.  (I would like build a Bearhawk Patrol next). 

Here is a quick overview of my status as of March 10, 2019.  I thought this would be a good point to show the status of my build as I am almost ready to cover the fuselage with fabric. 

Eliminating the D Window...

This turned into a bigger job than I wanted.  I decided not to use the kit provided "D window" assembly and go for a more modern look.  (To me, the D window says Pacer or Super Cub). 

All of the fabrication took place on the port side of the fuselage.  Whatever I ended up with was copied and cut from the cargo door on the starboard side. 

The process I used involved a single piece of .05 aluminum as the frame.  I layered or laminated additional pieces of .032 aluminum for build up.  Finally I finished it off with aluminum angles attached to the inside for strength. 

Pitch and Roll Auto Pilot Servos

I elected to install a two axis Dynon auto pilot system, (pitch and roll).  Perfect for holding altitudes and headings.  Turns using the heading bug, or route changes while in AP mode, will be assisted with the pilot's foot on the rudder pedals in the appropriate direction to compensate for adverse yaw.

The roll servo is mounted under the pilots seat on a .050 aluminum plate.  The plate is secured using adel clamps.  Dynon provides brackets in their AP servo mounting kits.  The following pictures show the plate I fabricated and the Dynon provided bracket.

Static Ports and Lines

Most of the Bearhawk builders I've spoken to say that the static ports are most effective further down the fuselage.  I've heard of some installed on the boot cowl, but I would think that prop wash would interfere.  I made tabs from aluminum angles and attached the ports from the rear secured with flush rivets.