This photo is from Oshkosh, July 2009. Will and I went for a demo ride in that Bearhawk. Will loved it almost as much as I did. We taxied out on the main runway in front of the huge flightline crowd, many thousand aviation enthusiasts awaiting the arrival of the Airbus A380. As we taxied by, lots of people waved and snapped pictures, probably thinking we were about to launch on an aerobatic routine, but we just did a max-performance takeoff and headed East over Lake Winnebago. The Bearhawk took off like the Great Glass Elevator, thanks to the Lycoming O-540 under the cowl and the constant-speed prop. The tail came up in a few seconds and then we were airborne almost right away, and climbing much faster than I am accustomed to.
The owner/builder, Mark Goldberg, made his (very nice) plane available to Avipro (the kit manufacturer) for Airventure 2009, but he was not around when we arranged for the flight with head honcho Keith Vasey. The demo pilot chick was a 737 captain from Florida, moonlighting with this gig for Avipro. When I asked if Will could ride along, she first asked if he was a good flier, meaning would he get airsick. I looked at the nice upholstery and tried to sound confident when I vouched for him. The truth is Will had never been in a small airplane before. Luckily, he not only lived up to my billing, but totally enjoyed the flight, grinning from ear to ear even during the steep turns and stalls. No vomit comet.
Anyway, I felt immediately comfortable in the airplane, very at ease with its handling and performance (it just FELT safe), but I definitely missed the sun roof modification, which was included in the display aircraft, but not the one I rode in (or in the published plans). I now consider the sun roof an absolute must for my own Bearhawk, both for enjoyment and traffic spotting.
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