12-31-2020

From the moment I had received my project, I began having reservations about the manual flap system, not because it was manual, rather because as I sat in the pilot seat I had to lean way over to grasp the handle. This action would cause a loss of sight picture through the windshield as I actuated the flap lever and that bothered me. 

Reading the forums, the plans have been updated to cut some "ramps" in the detent arm to allow the flap lever to be actuated through the first two notches without the need of depressing the release button. Some builders have also added an assist handle on top of the flap lever that prevented the need to lean way over so far to grasp the lever.

I recently had the pleasure to take my first flight in a Bearhawk built by Bobby Stokes and I absolutely loved the airplane! During this flight, I was able to experiment with the manual flaps and found my concerns were well founded. As I am not a tall guy, reaching for the flap handle caused me to lean way down and even with the addition of an assist handle, I realized it would not be the best solution for me, so I started to explore other options which included manual flaps with an overhead lever and electric flaps.