Jim Weir
Jim Weir is the chief avioniker at RST Engineering. He answers avionics questions in the Internet newsgroup www.pilotsofamerica.com–Maintenance. His technical advisor, Cyndi Weir, got her Masters degree in English and Journalism and keeps Jim on the straight and narrow. Check out their web site at www.rst-engr.com/kitplanes for previous articles and supplements.
A History of Aircraft Wiring Insulation
Discover the evolution of aircraft wiring insulation—from rubber and cotton to nylon, PVC, and Tefzel—and learn practical tricks for wiring your homebuilt.
Wire You Surprised?
There are three basic methods of marking your wires so that 10 years from now you’ll be able to go back and track down trouble.
Diodes, the Universal Component?
Diodes started off life fairly simply. Take an AC signal and convert it to a DC signal. Simple, huh?
Diodes, Backward and Forward
Let’s talk about what makes a diode—what the physical makeup of a diode really looks like on the inside.
Franklin vs. Edison et al. and Marconi
A word we use rather flippantly when perusing electronic circuitry—ground.
Ernie’s Room and Board
Way back in March ’23 (deep in snow here), I gave you the problem of Ernie, who needed a flashing light to see when...
Complex Impedance
A loyal reader writes, “I have a homebuilt Bugsmasher with a couple of com radios. They are a FlashBoom 32X and a LoudenWhapper 22A....
Memories
It was 1985 when this 42-year-old kid wrote an article for an upstart magazine aimed at the homebuilt aircraft market. Appearing in the October...
In Case You Missed It
Welcome to My ‘Tech Guy’ World
At the crossroads of business and hobby, customer and
company, success and failure
Making Peace with the Jabiru Engine
Keep it cool: That’s the secret to success with the Jabiru engine, which will reward your efforts by being a simple, powerful and smooth-running powerplant. Dave Prizio offers some suggestions for Jabiru care.
Build Your Skills: Composites (Part 6)
In this series installment, author Bob Fritz takes you through the basics of a three-day project you can really use: lightweight fiberglass wheel chocks. The article covers materials, cutting, patterns, foam cutting, eliminating bubbles, and pitfalls to look out for during the build; by Bob Fritz.