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Conquering the Magneto, Part 2

Andrew Robinson - 1
Making rare use of my drafting tools for the internal timing. [All Images Credited to Andrew Robinson]
The second installment continues demystifying the aircraft magneto, with deeper detail on service and troubleshooting.

FLYBOX Avionics

Don Fielden - 0
The integrated ECLIPSE NG features a very sunlight readable display that shows the engine and all flight data organized in one or more pages. [Credit: Fielden Aero LLC]
Avionics and controls for Homebuilts.

Radiant Technology Unveils SafeGyro

Kitplanes - 0
[Credit: Radiant Technology]
Latest addition to the Mini Glass line offers USB-rechargeable portability and intuitive motion-history mapping.

MagniX Unveils Electric Engine for the GA Market

Kitplanes - 12
[Credit: magniX]
The new engine aims to slash flight training costs and maintenance, with a Van's RV-10 test flight scheduled for later this year and a commercial launch in 2027

Dynon Unveils Scalable Engine Monitoring for Kitbuilders

Kitplanes - 1
[Credit: Dynon]
Simplified engine-focused interface streamlines cockpit operation.

Weight and Flutter

Andrew Robinson - 1
Aircraft control surface designs may include counterweights to offset and eliminate flutter. The counterweights should not be eliminated to save weight. [Credit: Kitplanes Archive]
There are places where weight is needed and should not be deleted.

A 30-Year Love Affair With My Stinson

Mike Davenport - 6
The author flying his Sinson 108-2 Voyager in the skies above British Columbia, Canada. [Credit: Mike Davenport]
The story of a caretaker of a versatile classic, the Stinson 108 Voyager.

Eyes Forward

Randall Brink - 0
The discomfort of wearing prescription- or sunglasses under an ANR headset is eliminated with Flying Eyes. [Credit: Flying Eyes]
Flying eyes optics solves the headset-sunglasses problem.

Second Chance Six

Tenley Ong - 0
Left to right, shiny new bulkheads, wooden form blocks, and old bulkheads. [Credit Tinley Ong]
Going down rabbit holes.

Paint It Yourself Or Pay A Pro?

Mike Davenport - 1
The painter sprays the door planels of a Glasair Sportsman 2+2. [Credit: Mike Davenport]
How to decide and how to get it done.

Firecrown’s Aviation Group Charts Course for 2026; Ryan Ewing Named Group...

Kitplanes - 1
Aircraft in flight [Credit: Jim Barrett]
Brand refreshes, new digital platforms, and expanded editorial investments follow a transitional year for the company’s aviation portfolio.

AOPA Air Safety Institute Celebrates 75 Years

Randall Brink - 0
AOPA Logo Primary Primary Logo scaled
Seventy-five years ago, on November 10, 1950, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Air Safety Institute (ASI) began life as the AOPA Foundation. Over...

Video Series

Magazine

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Exploring

Golden Age Revival

Mike Davenport -
0
Builder Spotlight

Builder’s Spotlight

Jon Humberd -
0
Editor's Log

Editor’s Log

Randall Brink -
3
Last Bits

Last Bits

Lisa Turner -
0
Magazine

Think Like A Builder

Bill Wilson -
1
Magazine

Winging It

Andrew Robinson -
0
Buyer's Guides

2026 Avionics and Lights Buyer’s Guide

Randall Brink -
0
Magazine

1936 Boeing Stearman Rebuild

Mike Davenport -
0
Checkpoints

Homebuilder’s Insurance

Kitplanes -
0
Builder Spotlight

Builder’s Spotlight

Jon Humberd -
0
Editor's Log

Editor’s Log

Randall Brink -
0
Last Bits

Last Bits

Lisa Turner -
1
Parts And Recreation

Salvage Parts

Randall Brink -
3
Exploring

Instructional Inflexibility

LeRoy Cook -
1
Exploring

Forgotten Flops

LeRoy Cook -
2

Flight Reviews

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Creating the RV-15

Paul Dye -
Flying Van’s high wing during its multiyear journey to kit production.

Flying the Groppo Trail

Luca Perazzoli -
How to say ‘mountain flying’ in Italian.

Home-Rolled XCub

Paul Dye -
Traditional or nosewheel, the XCubs are now available as kits.

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.

Builder Spotlight

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Builder’s Spotlight

Jon Humberd -
Part 22 of an ongoing Zenith 750SD Xtreme build, pushing the design further into extreme STOL performance territory.

Builder’s Spotlight

Jon Humberd -
Building them light enough to fly.

Epic Is Back

Jon Humberd -
Jon Humberd's epic Zenith build series.

North Idaho High School Student ACES Fly the Aircraft They Built

Randall Brink -
New FAA Airworthiness Certificates for Van's RV-12 and Zenith CH 750.

Building Control Components for the Zenith 750SD Xtreme

Jon Humberd -
Part 18: Taking Control

Building the 750 SDXTREME: Part 17

Jon Humberd -
Custom mods to the 750 SDX main gear and nosegear bring serious weight savings and unique titanium parts to life—right down to the pedals and steering rods.

Forked-Tail Masterpiece

Jonathan & Julia Apfelbaum -
Jim O’Hara’s scratchbuilt P-38 is a multi-generational effort .

Eating the Elephant—Part 5

Paul Dye -
Perfection isn’t a goal—it’s a trap.

Shop Talk

Think Like a Builder

Bill Wilson -
When a project moves outside your knowledge base, knowing when to bring in help is the mark of a smart builder.

Think Like A Builder

Bill Wilson -
The right mindset makes the difference.

Conquering the Magneto

Andrew Robinson -
Professor X and Kolchak would both be proud Part 1

Engine Analytics For Homebuilt Aircraft

Randall Brink -
A data-driven view of engine health.

Tie-Down Brackets

Andrew Robinson -
Finding an angle on staying grounded.

A D For Effort

Andrew Robinson -
LYCOMING O-290G REBUILD PART 1

Exploring

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Manual Starting Methods

LeRoy Cook -
Practical techniques for hand-propping and other manual engine starts when an electric starter isn't available.

Golden Age Revival

Mike Davenport -
Werner Griesbeck's meticulous total rebuild brings a classic 1938 Fairchild F-24 back into the air after decades.

Instructional Inflexibility

LeRoy Cook -
Flight Instructors tend to be the least flexible of all pilots.

Forgotten Flops

LeRoy Cook -
Many proposed, prototype, and production airplanes died at birth in aviation's golden age.

Better Half VW

Randall Brink -
Leonard Milholland's VW two-cylinder lightplane engine.

Aerotrek

Randall Brink -
Thirty years of value and performance in the light sport market.

Products

All Jacked Up

Tom Wilson -
Aircraft Jacking Solutions introduces ease and stability to lifting an airplane

Buzz Job – The Tosten Haptic Stick Grip

Tom Wilson -
Tosten’s prototype haptic stick grip buzzes to warn of stall, integrating touch-based feedback to angle-of-attack data.

iFly EFB X7 Aviation Tablet

Omar Filipovic -
The iFly EFB X7 is a 7″ Android aviation tablet featuring a 2,600-nit display, MIL-STD-810G ruggedness, IP68 sealing and a 7,000 mAh battery—pre-orders open July 18.

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.

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In Case You Missed It

balance 01

Wind Tunnel

Barnaby Wainfan - 0
Design process: balance, part 3.
no image thumb logo 150

Gear of the Year 2008

Kitplanes - 0
Most of the attendees at Oshkosh AirVenture each year seek out the latest, greatest, craziest, most innovative gear they can find, and our KITPLANES crew is no exception. This year we've come up with some brand new gadgets and some items that have escaped our attention till now but shouldn't have; a staff report.
wt 003 1

Avoiding the Traps of Bad Engineering and Construction

Barnaby Wainfan - 0
There's a large body of knowledge of good engineering practice for aircraft. Most of this knowledge was gained the hard way, and it should not be ignored lightly.
[Credit: Mike Davenport]

Pre-War Porterfield

Mike Davenport - 4
A rare bird designed to compete with the Cub, Champ, and T-Craft.
dar 594 12

Ask the DAR

Mel Asberry - 0
Can a homebuilt whose core is a certified airplane fuselage ever be seen as an Experimental?
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