Today I was in southern California for a little while, so I contacted fellow Bearhawk builder Mike Bundy. Mike spent most of the afternoon with me, including transportation from the hotel I was in. He’s a very nice fellow, and has an especially interesting engine for his Bearhawk. He’s using the 409 cubic inch 4-cylinder engine, which makes 230 horsepower. If it works as advertised, he’ll have the power of a 540-powered Bearhawk with the weight of a 360 engine. Seeing Mike’s project reminded me about how much I’ve done so far, and how much he still has left to do! On one level, it sounds so easy to describe what it takes to make a kit Bearhawk airworthy. Just install the gear, make up the boot cowl, do a few other little things, then install the engine, and make the cowling, and cover it all, hook up a few things, and that’s it. Those tasks have so many sub parts that take so much time, at least they take me so much time. I’ve long since given up on trying to estimate how long it will take to complete a particular job, even though everyone’s first question is “When will you have it finished?” Visiting with Mike was a great experience, and I was in a good mood for days afterward. It’s too bad that Bearhawk builders are spread out so sparsely, since I would love to spend more time with most of them.