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Randall Brink

Randall Brink
54 POSTS 26 COMMENTS
Randall Brink began flying before he was in his teens. His first airplane was an Aeronca 7AC. He discovered ultralights and kit planes when they became wildly popular. He has worked in aviation for fifty years and has held positions ranging from aviation gas boy and plane washer to Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. Along the way, he served as writer, contributing editor, and editor.
[Credit: Van's Aircraft]

Something New On The Horizon

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Long ago a reader sent me a photograph of a workbench. On it sat a half-finished rudder, a coffee can of Clecos, and a...
The Hatz Biplane, NX71VH, re-engineered to be powered by a 124 hp radial engine. [Credit: Hatz Biplane Association]

Airplane Almost No One Knows, Part One

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Ask a hundred pilots to name a plans-built open-cockpit biplane and most will land on the Pitts, the Starduster, or the Skybolt. Very few...
[Credit: CubCrafters]

CubCrafters’ New Turboprop MOSAIC LSA

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There is a unique sound a turbine engine makes on start—a rising whistle, followed by a smooth, spooling hush. Until this summer you had...
Builder and pilot Mark Farver stands alongside his Continental IOX-340 powered RANS S-21. [Credit: Mark Farver]

Cross-Country in a Homebuilt RANS S-21 Outbound to Oshkosh

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The call came a half mile out from FISK. "High wing, half mile from Fisk, rock your wings." Mark Farver rocked them. "Good rock. Welcome to Oshkosh." He...
Oshkosh is more popular than ever with three-quarters of a million people in attendance at AirVenture 2026. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]

Wide World of Airplanes

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Open this issue at the Builders Spotlight and you get a Zenith CH 701 built to a strict budget. Turn to the features and...
[Credit: AdobeStock]

FAA MOSAIC Rule Fully Implemented

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For twenty-one years, the homebuilding community has lived inside a set of numbers that never quite fit us. Thirteen hundred and twenty pounds. Two...
A Zenith STOL CH701 on Zenair amphibious floats rests on a sandbar on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. [Credit: Zenith Aircraft]

Zenith STOL CH 701 at 40: The Iconic ‘Sky Jeep’ Design...

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In 1986, a Canadian aeronautical engineer named Chris Heintz pulled the first STOL CH 701 out of a shop with a 50-hp Rotax 503...
A SubSonex personal jet in aerobatic flight. Thea design will expand with a two-place model kit in the months ahead. [Credit: Sonex Aircraft]

Sonex Reopens

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On the last Friday in March, Mark Schaible sat down in front of a camera at the Sonex factory in Oshkosh and told the...
A sleek Glasair II. [Credit: Glasair]

Class of ’86: How 1986 Transformed the Modern Kit Building Industry

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Forty years ago this year, Chris Heintz’s CH701 first flew. That alone would be reason enough for a celebration. The 701 is one of...
[Credit: Van's Aircraft]

Part 22 Gets Real: Van’s Delivers the First MOSAIC-Certified Airplane

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The paperwork era of MOSAIC ended at Oshkosh this year. On the same week the FAA's new Part 22 certification framework took effect, Van's...

In Case You Missed It

Pick the Best Rubber Hose for Your Fuel System

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It’s hard to deny that rubber hose is still a popular choice for many...

AirVenture Notes

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Knowing that I’m mainly stealing from the upcoming Engine Buyer’s Guide, it still seems...

Garmin aera 796: Portable Syn Vision

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Garmin builds on its portable product line with two new navigators: the aera 795 and 796. Paul Bertorelli reviews these synthetic-vision capable units.

Contributors

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Julia DownieOnce a year we take the opportunity to publicly thank the hard-working Julia...