One of my first projects at MMS was an airplane called a Bearhawk. I do not know what a “Bearhawk” animal is and it is my belief that the inventor was stumped as to what to call his new aircraft, and after a trip to the local zoo came to the cages for the bears and hawks and had a lightbulb moment. This “Bearhawk” serves with a ministry in Haiti called “Loving Shepherd Ministry”. One of the ministry’s focuses is homes for children in the remote sections of Haiti. This plane served as a pickup truck of sorts to aid these homes.
When the Bearhawk came to MMS it was in need of some loving. After 17 hard summers in Haiti, the earth’s closest star had done its damage. This airplane is likely different from the planes you are familiar with. Unlike the all-metal 737’s you have flown on, this aircraft’s skin was made of fabric, with a steel tube skeleton. In other words, you are basically 10000 feet up in a fancy shiny tent. Don’t get me wrong, a fabric-covered aircraft is actually great. Fabric is really easy to fix and is super forgiving when landing on gnarly runways. Fabric’s downfall is that when exposed to direct sunlight long enough it breaks down. So we removed all the old and reassembled with new. I came late into this project after almost all the fabric work was already done. Nevertheless, there was plenty of work yet to do. Almost everything was repainted, new wires were run everywhere, and endless small improvements took time.
Finally, the day arrived for the owner to come and return the Bearhawk to service. We all watched with bated breath as it took to the sky, praying that the engine won’t sputter, or the wings fall off. We double and triple-checked EVERYTHING, but the fears are always there in the corners of your mind. When a plane takes to the sky a landing is always guaranteed, but not always in one piece. Fortunately for all involved, she flew perfectly! And after a few small tweaks, the Bearhawk left its MMS nest. Before she left, I convinced the pilot to give me a ride, see the video below.
Flyin' Bryan 