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Randall Brink

Randall Brink
47 POSTS 21 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.
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...
[Credit: Flight Desgn GmbH]

FAA Accepts ASTM Standards, Clearing the Last Hurdle for MOSAIC

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The Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association arrived at Oshkosh this week with the news homebuilders and light-aircraft makers have waited a decade to hear. The...
[Credit: Sonex]

Sonex Renames High Wing the Phoenix

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The rejuvenated Sonex has given its two-seat high-wing a new name. The airplane that has carried the working title "Sonex Highwing" through three years...
The Classic Wittman W-10 Tailwind [Credit: LeRoy Cook]

The Midpoint Reset: Navigating the Rest of the 2026 Homebuilt Horizon

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You’re home again, and the airplane cabin still smells faintly of Florida and sunscreen. The bugs on the leading edges are mostly gone, but...
[Credit: McFarlane Alaska]

McFarlane Alaska Absorbs Backcountry Favorite T3 Tailwheel

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If you fly off gravel bars, ridge strips, or anything that only loosely qualifies as a runway, the odds are decent you have a...
[Credit: FAA]

MOSAIC Isn’t a Question of Can You—But Why You’d Build

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By now you know the headline numbers. Stall speed up to 59 knots clean. Four seats. Night flying. A Sport Pilot license—or just a...
[Credit: EAA]

Vintage in Review Returns to Oshkosh: Five Days, Five Stories, and...

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If there is a corner of AirVenture that quietly rewards the homebuilder, it is the patch of grass just east of the Vintage Red...
[Credit: Zenith Aircraft Company]

Zenith Throws Open Its Doors for “Fly-In to Summer”

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If you’ve ever wanted to see where all those Zenith kit parts come from, June 20th is your chance to find out firsthand. Zenith...

In Case You Missed It

Kit Stuff

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Drawing on experience; by cartoonist Robrucha.

Kit Stuff

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AirCam Adventure

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When a former editor of KITPLANES gets an invitation to fly with a group of AirCam pilots to the Bahamas, resistance is futile.

Letters

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Additional Pilot During Phase I TestingIn my opinion, AC 90-116 is another glaring...