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Zenith Fly Into Summer is June 21st

Kitplanes - 0
Zenith Fly Into Summer
The “Fly In to Summer” open house and fly-in will take place at the central Missouri kit-aircraft factory on Saturday, June 21

AirVenture Type Gatherings

Omar Filipovic - 0
jim dudley oshkosh
Don't miss the type-specific gatherings at AirVenture Oshkosh — connect with fellow builders and pilots of your aircraft.

Sonex Highwing First Engine Start

Omar Filipovic - 0
Sonex Highwing
The Sonex Highwing prototype has completed its first engine run and is nearly ready for flight, targeting a debut at AirVenture 2025.

RV-15 Test Flight With a New Wing

Omar Filipovic - 0
vans rv-15 flap test new wing
RV‑15 flies with new wing and updated flaps—perfect handling, stable, and on track for Oshkosh.

Magnet Trick for Precise Hole Placement

Paul Dye - 1
IMG 6935
Use magnets to mark precise hole locations through metal or composite firewalls—no guessing, no misaligned holes.

VoltAero Debuts Hybrid Propulsion Aimed at Kit Market

Omar Filipovic - 0
VoltAero hybrid propulsion powerplant
VoltAero's new HPU 210 hybrid-electric powerplant blends motorcycle-derived horsepower with electric boost—but details on the battery remain elusive.

Video Series

Magazine

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Builder Spotlight

Why Alternative Engines Rarely Save Money

Paul Dye -
0
Exploring

Aircraft Modification Choices

Vic Syracuse -
0
Builder Spotlight

Building the 750 SDXTREME: Part 16

Jon Humberd -
0
Shop Talk

Starkey’s Custom Spark Plug Adapter Lock Wrench

Bob Hadley -
0
Exploring

Errant Holes: Un-drilling, Up-drilling and Adopting

Kerry Fores -
3
Kit Bits

Taming the Wiring Rat’s Nest

Lisa Turner -
0
Shop Talk

A History of Aircraft Wiring Insulation

Jim Weir -
0
Shop Talk

Custom Heat Exchanger Fabrication

Eric Stewart -
0
Builder Spotlight

Eating the Elephant—Part 3

Paul Dye -
1
Builder Spotlight

RV-10 Paint Scheme Paints a Family Story

Kerry Fores -
0
Exploring

Catching Up

Tom Wilson -
1
Shop Talk

Oil Filter Testing

Dan Horton -
2
Flight Reports

Risen — The Master of Efficiency

Marc Cook -
6
Exploring

Wheeler Express—Yesteryear’s Homebuilts

Ron Wanttaja -
1
Designer's Notebook

Build, Test, Refine and Fix—Part 4: Stall Characteristics

Barnaby Wainfan -
0

Flight Reviews

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Risen — The Master of Efficiency

Marc Cook -
It is crazy fast for the horsepower!

ScaleBirds P-36 Hawk

Paul Dye -
ScaleBirds, a newcomer to the kit manufacturing scene, chose to start their line of replica fighters with one of the first all-metal U.S. military pursuit ships of WW-II—the P-36.

Kitfox Speedster 916

Marc Cook -
The feistiest Kitfox gets feistier yet.

Sling Shot

Paul Dye -
Rotax’s 916 enlivens Sling’s four-seaters.

Nothing Small About This Amphibian

Tom Wilson -
The Gweduck is a hero-class Experimental amphibian aircraft three decades in the making.

On the Nose!

Paul Dye -
Lockwood’s Rotax-powered RV-9A is more than just fancy rhinoplasty.

Builder Spotlight

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Adding a Taillight to a Completed Rudder

Andrew Robinson -
A creative, low-impact solution for mounting a light without cutting up your rudder.

Assembling a Gyro Technic VX-2

Mark Timney -
A pilot chases his dream of building and flying a gyroplane with help from Gyro Technic in Minnesota.

Why Alternative Engines Rarely Save Money

Paul Dye -
You can try it, but don’t expect to come out ahead—or airborne—without a fight.

Building the 750 SDXTREME: Part 16

Jon Humberd -
Tubeless tires, prototype gear, and cabin mods—follow the ongoing adventure of getting the highly modified 750 SDX on its feet.

Eating the Elephant—Part 3

Paul Dye -
Designing cockpits is part art, part foresight—flexibility wins when your perfect panel meets inevitable evolution mid-build.

RV-10 Paint Scheme Paints a Family Story

Kerry Fores -
Four generations influenced Ernie and Jeanne Lietzan’s RV-10.

Eating the Elephant—Part 2

Paul Dye -
One step forward, two steps back

Second Chance Six

Tenley Ong -
Part 14: To fix or not to fix?

Shop Talk

Cable Ties For Ballast

Vic Syracuse -
Cable ties will become brittle over time and can break. Having weights come loose during flight, especially near the control system, could really ruin your day. 

Magnet Trick for Precise Hole Placement

Paul Dye -
Use magnets to mark precise hole locations through metal or composite firewalls—no guessing, no misaligned holes.

DIY Edge Tool for Canopy Skirts

Paul Dye -
A simple DIY tool puts a sharp crease into canopy skirts when edge-breaking tools fall short—just bring some wrist strength.

Internal Power Milestone—EarthX Battery for the F1 Rocket Project

Paul Dye -
The F1 Rocket project hits a major milestone—electrical and avionics systems now run independently on EarthX batteries.

Starkey’s Custom Spark Plug Adapter Lock Wrench

Bob Hadley -
Make spark plug changes easier with a custom spark plug wrench for auto plug adapters on aircraft engines.

Canopy Done—For Now: F1 Project Progresses

Paul Dye -
With the canopy fitted and systems checked, our F1 project moves closer to mounting the engine and firewall-forward work.

Exploring

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Snapshots From the Whirlwind

Tom Wilson -
Pilots demand ADS-B privacy, sport air racing shifts to weight-based rules and affordable Oshkosh and Roswell travel tips.

Change Is a Constant

Paul Dye -
Marc Cook steps away again, passing KITPLANES’ reins as we invite fresh voices from the homebuilt aviation community.

Aircraft Modification Choices

Vic Syracuse -
Aftermarket mods for amateur-built aircraft are booming, but not all upgrades deliver on performance, safety or practicality.

Errant Holes: Un-drilling, Up-drilling and Adopting

Kerry Fores -
Homebuilding has no undo key. Learn causes of drill errors, a hole‑marking prevention method, and three easy fixes when mistakes happen.

Catching Up

Tom Wilson -
Hangar tightens as a Murphy Moose build begins, sparking shop upgrades, parts hunts, and reflections on wind and freedom.

Wheeler Express—Yesteryear’s Homebuilts

Ron Wanttaja -
The Wheeler Express dazzled with sleek performance and bold promises but ultimately struggled with stability issues and company misfortunes.

Products

KitFlight Modernizes the Aircraft Builder’s Log (Updated)

Omar Filipovic -
KitFlight makes logging your Experimental aircraft build intuitive, flexible, and future-proof—with powerful features and no subscription required.

USB-Powered CO Monitor from Radiant

Paul Dye -
Radiant's new $29.95 USB CO monitor lights up red if danger's in the air—and might just beat those old stick-on cards for reliability.

Holy Micro’s Absolute AoA: Next-Level Angle of Attack Sensing for GA Pilots

Mark Timney -
Advanced new AoA system from Holy Micro debuts at Sun ’n Fun 2025 with radar and LiDAR altimeters in tow.

Innovation Showcase Highlights New HUD Helmet and Visual Traffic Alert System

Mark Timney -
New tech at Sun ’n Fun includes a HUD helmet and a visual traffic alert system for general aviation pilots.

Pure Medical Brings New Oxygen Solution to Aircraft

Steve Ashby -
Pure Medical adapts the Inogen Rove 6 for aircraft, delivering tank-free oxygen to homebuilders at Sun ’n Fun.

Radiant Technology Unveils Taxi Camera

Cayla McLeod -
A flush camera and accompanying 7-inch LCD display grants tailwheel pilots forward visibility while taxiing.

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