Kitplanes

Cover Story

Sequoia Falco: Wings of Desire

Ten years of meticulous workmanship and a daughter’s dedication combined to result in a stellar example of a Sequoia Falco F.8L. Builder John Shipler enjoyed the fruits of his labor before his health declined, and his daughter Kris has continued to fly and maintain the airplane after his passing; by Marc Cook.

Annual Directory, Part 2

2008 Plans Aircraft Directory

If cash is scarce and time is abundant, building an airplane from plans may be the best option. The variety of plansbuilt projects is surprisingly diverse, as a review of this year’s directory will show. Included are specifications, photos, contact information and a handy cross-reference that allows you to locate the company from the design name.

Flight Reports

Sequoia Falco: Wings of Desire

Ten years of meticulous workmanship and a daughter’s dedication combined to result in a stellar example of a Sequoia Falco F.8L. Builder John Shipler enjoyed the fruits of his labor before his health declined, and his daughter Kris has continued to fly and maintain the airplane after his passing.

Builder Spotlight

Dan Parker and the Altitude Airplane

Dan Parker was just another enthusiast looking to make his mark in aviation with some kind of crazy, notable project. Then he came across the Facet Opel, current altitude record holder, and the race was on. Since then, he’s been working on his airplane full time, hoping to break the existing record, and along the way he’s come up with some innovative and exceptionally efficient building and design practices.

All About Avionics

Sophisticated and capable audio systems used to be less common in Experimental aircraft, but now many pilots want expanded capabilities. There are ways to go about choosing and installing such systems that will alleviate unnecessary instrument noise and allow for the best audio quality possible. Avionics expert Stein Bruch walks you through the considerations and offers his top three tips for avoiding problems.

Build Your Skills: Composites (Part 9)

Don’t let pesky pinholes ruin your homebuilt project. There is a way to deal with them, and author Bob Fritz describes how. Hint: To start with, cleanliness is always a good thing in the shop.

Completions

Builders share their successes.

Shop Talk

Aero 'Lectrics

Columnist Jim Weir reminds us that it’s good to laugh at ourselves once in a while, and, to that end, he acts as an unofficial translator between pilots and the FAA, construing what they mean by what they say, and what they mean by what they don’t say. He also details the latest contributions to Murphy’s Law from the world of aviation.

The Home Machinist (Part 10)

You’re not alone if you’ve been flummoxed or frustrated when trying to decode technical drawings or blueprints. They seem to use a language all their own, one that many of us are not privy to. Fear not. Author Bob Fritz will give you the tools you need to visualize the item being described, and he’ll make such documents intelligible to the uninitiated.

Designer's Notebook

Wind Tunnel

Columnist Barnaby Wainfan discusses the factors that affect the longitudinal stability of an aircraft during a variety of maneuvers. Designers make compromises to keep stick forces down so that a pilot can control an airplane, but sometimes they go too far, and light control forces can result in problems that are just as serious as those posed by forces that are too heavy. What’s a designer to do? The most important considerations are presented.

Exploring

Around the Patch

In keeping with the spirit of this year’s Directory of Plansbuilt Aircraft, Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook extols the virtues of enjoying the process of building of an airplane as much as the flying of it.

What's New

Among the news items this month are the announcement of extended-range fuel tanks for the Arion Aircraft Lightning, a flight bag that’s customized for RV aircraft, a light-aircraft jack and a new transceiver from Microair Avionics of Australia.

Flying in the Ford World

Sage philosopher and aviation nut Uncle Ishmael explains how, for about the price of a 4-year-old Ford pickup truck, you can own a serviceable homebuilt aircraft. You’ll probably have to forgo anything certified, and hone your scrounging skills, but when all is said and done, isn’t getting up in the air flying better than sitting on the ground dreaming?

Light Stuff

Inherent biases or previous experience can alter the perceptions of any product reviewer, but perceptions may change when one takes the time to investigate further, sometimes turning what was thought to be a detriment into something less significant. Such was the case when columnist Dave Martin revisited one feature (pilot visibility) of the Remos G-3 SLSA.

Kit Bits

Contributors

Letters

List of Advertisers

Builders' Marketplace

The Classified Builder

Kit Stuff

Drawing on experience.