Matt Burch is an engineer, commercial pilot, flight instructor and serial hobby-acquirer. He is dual-rated in airplanes and helicopters, and some say he owns too many tools.
Everything we know about aviation comes from the experience of designers, builders and pilots who came before us. Understanding their successes and failures can help us fly and build more safely.
There are many reasons that building your own airplane takes awhile. Columnist Paul Dye details the pitfalls of completing one seemingly simple maintenance task, which brings into focus the bigger picture.