Jon Croke
As the founder of HomebuiltHELP.com, Jon Croke has produced instructional videos for Experimental aircraft builders for over 10 years. He has built (and helped others build) over a dozen kit aircraft of all makes and models. Jon is a private pilot and currently owns and flies a Zenith Cruzer.
Support Your Wings
Having constructed several high-wing aircraft kits, I can attest to the anxiety that comes from the exercise of mounting wings to the fuselage. This...
Prepare for a Charge
The battery you install in your homebuilt kit will have nearly the same kind of life as the one in your automobile. It will...
NPT and Aircraft Fittings–Don’t Get That Size Wrong!
National Pipe Thread is a U.S. standard for tapered threads, which we find on many aircraft fittings. Contrast this with straight threads, which are...
Eyes That Can See Around Corners
As builders of our own aircraft, we know there are many enclosed areas inside the fuselage and wings that may never be seen again...
Take the Glare Out of That Glareshield
Many popular aircraft kits utilize a sheet of aluminum to form the glareshield—that “shelf” located above the instrument panel and below the windshield. While this component provides a cover to the avionic components, it also can function as a mirror to send blinding sunlight into your eyes and block your vision. A more accurate description […] 
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KITPLANES® magazine is the world’s #1 homebuilt aviation magazine. Written exclusively for enthusiasts like you, our editors pack each issue with need-to-know information on building, flying, designing and maintaining your own amateur-built category manned aircraft.
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KITPLANES® magazine is the world’s #1 homebuilt aviation magazine. Written exclusively for enthusiasts like you, our editors pack each issue with need-to-know information on building, flying, designing and maintaining your own amateur-built category manned aircraft.
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Edging to the Rescue
Sometimes the aircraft kits we build can use a little extra help when it comes to the final fit and finish. As builders, we...
Do-It-Yourself Push-To-Talk Switch
Talking on the communication radio in your homebuilt aircraft requires a simple push-to-talk (PTT) switch—an electrical push-button switch of the momentary-contact type. This switch...
In Case You Missed it
Design Process: Braced Wings
As we saw last month, the designer has two fundamental choices of wing structural...
The $30,000 RV-9A
Two builders helped each other build RV-9As, each employing significantly different outlays of cash. The results are impressive in both cases, but for different reasons. They help us ponder the question as we build: “What is something worth?” By Marc Cook.
Marking Rivet Locations
Laying out rivet patterns can take a lot of time, especially when the drawings...
