Marc Cook
KITPLANES Editor in Chief Marc Cook has been in aviation journalism for 30 years. He is a 4500-hour instrument-rated, multi-engine pilot with experience in nearly 150 types. He’s completed two kit aircraft, an Aero Designs Pulsar XP and a Glasair Sportsman 2+2, and currently flies a 2002 GlaStar.
FAA Previews Task-Based Testing for Experimentals
Here you thought the existing Phase I flight-test rules were set in stone. Maybe not so much. The EAA, saying a proposed set of...
Kitfox Announces New Model With Stunning New Rotax Engine
Kitfox Aircraft, ever the innovator in the kitbuilt industry, showed early examples of its latest Series 7 STi with the promising new six-cylinder Rotax...
Droning About the Future
Elsewhere in this issue, we’ve taken a few pages to consider the future of homebuilding, a composite sketch of sorts based on interviews and...
The Future of Homebuilding: Industry
For the general public, the idea of constructing your own airplane, with your own hands, in your own space, is borderline fantastical. To them,...
Fleeting Thoughts
When we talk about Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft with “regular” pilots, it’s common for the conversation to imply that our world is a mere tiny speck...
Van’s Investigating Quickbuild Kit Corrosion-Proofing
Van’s investigating reports of potential surface corrosion on the interior aluminum surfaces of Quick Build wing and fuselage kits.
Van’s Aircraft Is Hiring
The heady expansion of Experimental aviation during the COVID period was, for many, unexpected but the companies are leaning into increased demand by hiring....
Titan IO-340 Engine Unboxing
Ever wonder what it's like to get a factory-fresh engine delivered? Is there fanfare and a marching band? No. But it's still exciting. KITPLANES...
Demand and Supply
We’re all tired of talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m certain, but there’s no denying it’s reached into every corner of our society, impacting...
In Case You Missed it
Down to Earth
Amy Laboda has watched her first homebuilt (Kitfox) aircraft and her second daughter come of age in a way that illustrates some parallels between the two.
Wind Tunnel
When the airflow separates from a surface, the result can be unsteady forces or turbulent wake shedding, neither of which is desirable.
Wind Tunnel
Builders are often in a rush to prove the airworthiness of their homebuilt projects, but thorough flight-testing is essential.
Dyno Testing
Dyno testing your engine before installation can be an investment in peace of mind as well as the future value of your aircraft.
