The changes of packaging everything into 'kitted' bags will make things sooooo much more streamlined. I'm excited for all your changes and new offerings. I can't imagine how busy you've been trying to churn out that much improvement during the first few months of owning a new company. You're an impressive dude!
Thanks for the update, sad I didn't see you at Oshkosh. Can't wait to visit with my wife and put in an order for a 5. Excited for all the carbon stuff!
Super excited for you and your team, Virgil. I will definitely be a customer in the future, but in the mean time... watching the vids, rooting for you, and praying for you all. God Bless from North Idaho!
By far the most glaring weakness in the Bearhawk kits is the lack of complete documentation. The assembly manuals were amateur at best compared to those of, say… Rans. It resulted in a fun mix of “ok I guess I can do this my way” to “I don’t even know where to start.” The accepted source of some things was a subscription newsletter archive. Some people thought it was great but I thought it was weak sauce by kit lane industry standards. Hopefully the new ownership is going to fill this void in a more professional way.
I have loved the totally complete RANS kits I have had...but always a huge pain sifting throught bulk hardware. You're subkitting of assemblies is fantastic! Well done!
Thanks for all your hard work and vision here @The-virg . Supply chain is not easy, but it already feels way better! One day I'll be building a Bearhawk, and hopefully can do that as a builder assist and be onsite with you guys. Keep up the good work!
Virgil your freakin awesome! Can’t wait to get my 5 kit in October. With everything you’re doing, I’m thinking I might be able to actually pull this off. See you at Oshkosh!
Virgil, well done!!, wish I could have made it to Oshkosh with the plane this year. looking forward to seeing the company grow under your stewardship... Dan
Great video. I never seriously considered building a Bearhawk before due to the complexity of it. With the changes you are making to the kits, I'd say it's back on the top of my list. I hope to be ordering a kit within a couple of years. I'd like to see an update on how the Deltahawk thing is going.
The LSA has caught my eye, if and when I get tired of my RANS S-7 (2 of them in 24 years, 4500 hrs TT) but that hasn't happened quite yet, I need to wreck it I guess to get motivated to build something else. I really like that metal single strut wing, and am very comfortable with the Mexican labor part, no problemo! No flaps but a lot of square footage in that wing, the low stall is totally believable.
Working out here at KOUN in Norman, you should definitely try and reach out to our property manager about shop space. Keep it up man, super excited for y'all!
I’d like a trike option to seriously consider one of these as my next plane. I don’t fly anywhere off airport but would really like 6 seats and the useful load the model 5 offers. Just with a lower insurance premium.
Yes good instructions go a long ways and the goal is to have very concise instructions that help keep you he builder on task rather than getting lost in the weeds.
Virgil ... I would like to hear about options on legacy kits ... (1) is the new manual available separately (2) how can you support with builder assist when the project is already in process (3) what "new" options can be retro-fitted ... exciting times !
The new manuals will be made available to all current and past customers, Some of it will not cary over perfectly to legacy aircraft but will be very applicable. 2: Do to the demand on our build assist we are only starting with new builds currently but I won't rule it out in the future if we get caught up. My goal is to make as much retrofittable as possible, some items will not but most of the new options should bolt right up to legacy aircraft.
seat covers for remote operators,, They will be sitting by smoky fires and that is on their clothes and then on the seats , easier to have removable covers.
We are proud of the pricing we are able to provide. When our aircraft are compared to others on the market we are typically 30% less than comparable aircraft. Cost for manufacturing have done nothing but skyrocket in the last few years.
Transitioned from non-profit religious charity right into commercial for profit enterprise using cheap Mexican labor to sell a premium branded product.. very American Indeed
The company was already manufacturing them in mexico almost a decade ago. Nothing changed. If these were welded by Union labor in Michigan, the fuselage frame alone would be somewhere around $50,000... It has many hundreds of hours of labor in it. $8/hr vs $80/hr.
I would challenge you to find a team as skilled as ours, we quite possibly have one of the most skilled tube fuselage welding teams in the world. Employing both tig and gas welding, they produce some of the finest welding in the industry and sheet metal work to match.
The quality of the work coming from the factory in Mexico is at least as good as (and generally better) than any experimental kit being built in the US.
Normally I would agree but having done my research that couldn’t be further from the truth in this case. The Mexico factor has multi generational career workers who do incredible quality work, then the bare fuselage goes to the USA location for finish work where it can be inspected.
The prices have increased in Mexico (mostly from fuel prices) AND the MXP has increased 32% vs the USD in the past two years (Fed printing money like a drunken sailor). They just elected a communist as president in Mexico so I would expect the economic progress to slow as well as the strength of the Peso. Fortunately the Mexican federal government has less authority than that of the US feds.
@@AviationAstroLol. I can buy a Maule for less than I can build one of these. Maybe that’s the problem? The price of kits has skyrocketed why pay that much for something you have to build other than as a retirement project?
Incredible what you've already accomplished Virgil. Looking forward to a factory built belly pod for the Patrol!
Virgil is eminently talented and motivated to run and take the Bearhawk to higher places.
Best Wishes!
The changes of packaging everything into 'kitted' bags will make things sooooo much more streamlined. I'm excited for all your changes and new offerings. I can't imagine how busy you've been trying to churn out that much improvement during the first few months of owning a new company. You're an impressive dude!
Thanks for the update, sad I didn't see you at Oshkosh. Can't wait to visit with my wife and put in an order for a 5. Excited for all the carbon stuff!
Super excited for you and your team, Virgil. I will definitely be a customer in the future, but in the mean time... watching the vids, rooting for you, and praying for you all. God Bless from North Idaho!
By far the most glaring weakness in the Bearhawk kits is the lack of complete documentation. The assembly manuals were amateur at best compared to those of, say… Rans. It resulted in a fun mix of “ok I guess I can do this my way” to “I don’t even know where to start.” The accepted source of some things was a subscription newsletter archive. Some people thought it was great but I thought it was weak sauce by kit lane industry standards. Hopefully the new ownership is going to fill this void in a more professional way.
I have loved the totally complete RANS kits I have had...but always a huge pain sifting throught bulk hardware. You're subkitting of assemblies is fantastic! Well done!
Amazing progress and improvements in packaging/kitting. Your customers will benefit immensely. Great work, Virgil!
Thanks for the update. Love seeing the progress and all the right steps. Congrats!
Thanks for all your hard work and vision here @The-virg . Supply chain is not easy, but it already feels way better! One day I'll be building a Bearhawk, and hopefully can do that as a builder assist and be onsite with you guys. Keep up the good work!
Virgil your freakin awesome! Can’t wait to get my 5 kit in October. With everything you’re doing, I’m thinking I might be able to actually pull this off. See you at Oshkosh!
Love the guy welding with no eye protection or face shield. Lol
Obviously using the latest safety squint technology👨🏭. Hey amigo you like the new logo? 👨🦯➡️ Si' ....It's the other way 👨🦯 Gracias
Let's go baby!!!
A twin spar kit would be nice Bearhawk 5 would be nice.
Well done, Virgil. Best of luck for continued success ... 🐻^v^
Cant wait to buy my 5. This is awesome
Congratulations!!!!
Great video Virgil, awesome updates
Awesome , Sounds like you are kick azz & taking names !
Virgil, well done!!, wish I could have made it to Oshkosh with the plane this year. looking forward to seeing the company grow under your stewardship... Dan
Wow... this is amazing!!
Great video. I never seriously considered building a Bearhawk before due to the complexity of it. With the changes you are making to the kits, I'd say it's back on the top of my list. I hope to be ordering a kit within a couple of years. I'd like to see an update on how the Deltahawk thing is going.
Bring it to the USA if you want more Buyers!!!🇺🇸👍🏼
Nope because it would be subpar work and more expensive….. look at shitty Boeing.
@@mep593 you get what you pay for….
It is! Fairview OK
The LSA has caught my eye, if and when I get tired of my RANS S-7 (2 of them in 24 years, 4500 hrs TT) but that hasn't happened quite yet, I need to wreck it I guess to get motivated to build something else. I really like that metal single strut wing, and am very comfortable with the Mexican labor part, no problemo! No flaps but a lot of square footage in that wing, the low stall is totally believable.
No doubt you will do great things
Any info or interest on a Deltahawk engine setup? Sounds like you all are are pretty busy with 26 thousand things. Good work! Good luck!
I'm excited for the changes, bear hawk 5 is pretty much my dream plane, but the previous build process seemed really daunting for a first time builder
I’m saving my money for one of these
Working out here at KOUN in Norman, you should definitely try and reach out to our property manager about shop space. Keep it up man, super excited for y'all!
with your interest, knowledge and skills with composites, maybe we will see lighter and stronger Bearhawk aircraft
I’d like a trike option to seriously consider one of these as my next plane. I don’t fly anywhere off airport but would really like 6 seats and the useful load the model 5 offers. Just with a lower insurance premium.
Thanks for the feedback.
See you at Airventure
When will the T-shirts be available. Not currently available at the BearHawk store.
Looking good. Is the plan to get this more to an assembly process vs struggling to figure out whats needed where
Yes good instructions go a long ways and the goal is to have very concise instructions that help keep you he builder on task rather than getting lost in the weeds.
@@The-virg looking forward to seeing what the future brings. Your the top of my list when I can make the financials work
Any plans to eventually add a nose dragger option on the 5?
My dream is to build one and own one
When will the parts department be open for us scratch builders. Would like to maybe buy some ribs and spars….
Virgil ... I would like to hear about options on legacy kits ... (1) is the new manual available separately (2) how can you support with builder assist when the project is already in process (3) what "new" options can be retro-fitted ... exciting times !
The new manuals will be made available to all current and past customers, Some of it will not cary over perfectly to legacy aircraft but will be very applicable. 2: Do to the demand on our build assist we are only starting with new builds currently but I won't rule it out in the future if we get caught up. My goal is to make as much retrofittable as possible, some items will not but most of the new options should bolt right up to legacy aircraft.
seat covers for remote operators,, They will be sitting by smoky fires and that is on their clothes and then on the seats , easier to have removable covers.
Any chance the kits will be a lower price? They have one of the highest kit prices in the industry.
We are proud of the pricing we are able to provide. When our aircraft are compared to others on the market we are typically 30% less than comparable aircraft. Cost for manufacturing have done nothing but skyrocket in the last few years.
@@arthurg7257 no chance! Buyers will continue to be gouged until the boomers buy out and all their excess cash is gone.
Is Mike Silvernagle still a rep for Bearhawk?
Not sure how many square feet you need. Mena has a building for sale on the airport
Thanks for the tip.
What is the wait time for patrol and/or 4 place??
14 months currently.
What’s the range specs
Do you sent them to Europe
Yes we can ship them almost anywhere. 👍🏼
How about Niger?? 😂@@The-virg
Transitioned from non-profit religious charity right into commercial for profit enterprise using cheap Mexican labor to sell a premium branded product.. very American Indeed
Last time I checked Christian’s were allowed to be capitalist too, just ask Jeff Osteen
The company was already manufacturing them in mexico almost a decade ago. Nothing changed. If these were welded by Union labor in Michigan, the fuselage frame alone would be somewhere around $50,000... It has many hundreds of hours of labor in it. $8/hr vs $80/hr.
@@kevinbowers3917 lol agreed. Dont worry he raised the prices too for extra points!
@@EllipsisAircraft hundreds of hour of labor to weld together a jigged fuselage is a joke. If it took them 40 hours I would be surprised
@@zen8791 If a union welder could weld a fuselage in 40 hours, I would be surprised.
A Mexican? Sure could!
I'm not interested in a Mexican airplane. Low bidders are not what I trust my life on.
I would challenge you to find a team as skilled as ours, we quite possibly have one of the most skilled tube fuselage welding teams in the world. Employing both tig and gas welding, they produce some of the finest welding in the industry and sheet metal work to match.
You don't know much about Bearhawks to make a dumb statement like that.
The quality of the work coming from the factory in Mexico is at least as good as (and generally better) than any experimental kit being built in the US.
Normally I would agree but having done my research that couldn’t be further from the truth in this case. The Mexico factor has multi generational career workers who do incredible quality work, then the bare fuselage goes to the USA location for finish work where it can be inspected.
The quality of my BH4 quick build kit (fabricated in the plant shown in this video) is extremely good.
Built in Mexico and the prices have skyrocketed since 2020, for 50k they were a good deal but now they are crazy priced
What hasn't skyrocketed in price since 2020, other than TV's? Isn't not charging enough part of the problem that landed Vans in bankruptcy?
What are the kit prices these days?
The prices have increased in Mexico (mostly from fuel prices) AND the MXP has increased 32% vs the USD in the past two years (Fed printing money like a drunken sailor). They just elected a communist as president in Mexico so I would expect the economic progress to slow as well as the strength of the Peso. Fortunately the Mexican federal government has less authority than that of the US feds.
@@AviationAstroLol. I can buy a Maule for less than I can build one of these. Maybe that’s the problem? The price of kits has skyrocketed why pay that much for something you have to build other than as a retirement project?
@@mep593the four place is 86k! Pretty sure they were in the 50-60 range in 2021