Engine Isolators - What a Debacle!

(UPDATE 8/30/19...  Several have asked and offered advise for installing the engine and isolators to the Type 2 bracket.  I successfully completed the engine installation after consulting several certified engine service manuals on the same engine and Lord J-9613-12 isolators.  All were consistent in detailing the sequence and that each AN-7 bolt should be fully torqued before moving to the next.  This proved very effective made the installation a non event.)


It WAS a debacle...  It's easy to describe the issue now after "going to school" on engine mounting brackets, engine case ears, isolators and isolator bolt lengths.  But this whole experience was a huge time suck and slowed my build progress down more than I would have expected.


The following video describes the entire engine mounting situation and explains why it took so long to hang it...  Get ready for an education on mounting an engine!

Gear Legs On ~ No More Rotisserie!

It's been a long summer and quite awhile since I updated my build blog...  I had a business trip in June, family vacation to California in early July, then a week in Oshkosh at the end of July.


Now that the fuselage has been painted, it's time to get some legs under her.  It is bitter sweet to remove the convenience of the rotisserie, but real progress to finally have the gear legs mounted.  Finally starting to look like an airplane!

Each of the main gear struts is comprised of a cylinder containing a high compression spring and a capped shaft.  The spring must be compressed into the cylinder, locked in place with a snap ring, then the cylinder is filled with ATV fluid.  This creates the hydraulic dampening system for the Bearhawk landing gear.

In my opinion, the most underrated component on the entire Bearhawk line is the ingenious landing gear system.  This gear is not "springy" and creates a sense of sticking to the runway on landings.

Following the Bearhawk Builder's Assistance Manual I installed the spring accordingly.