Funny Money
When I was a kid, way back in the 1960s, one of the toughest decisions I had to make was whether to buy a...
Mounting On a Curve
A long time ago, when homebuilders began installing Garmin 430s—the most popular IFR GPS/nav/com of the day—we were mostly left on our own to...
Nutsert Notes
Let me say right up front that I hate nutserts. Also called rivet nuts, threaded inserts or rivnuts. (I’m sure there’s a formal product...
Lightweight Stepladder
I affectionately refer to my Jabiru light-sport as being a “low high-wing” airplane. This is because, despite it being a high-wing configuration, you have...
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...
VHF Com–the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
With a panel full of glass and diodes turned into all the colors of the rainbow, the poor old VHF com sitting over in...
Design Process: Span and Aspect Ratio
At this point in the design process we have determined the wing area. The choice of high- versus low-wing and structural concept of the...
In Case You Missed it
Light Stuff
The author reviews the Kappa KP-5 LSA, imported by Kappa Aircraft from the Czech Republic. This is a conventional, low-wing, trigear configuration airplane, with a staggered seating arrangement that allows more room for each occupant, while keeping the cockpit narrow. The KP-5 is powered by a 100-horsepower Rotax 912 ULS engine and a Woodcomp three-blade prop, and has a useful load of 583 pounds. Full-power airspeed is stated as 138 mph. Avionics equipment includes a Dynon EFIS and engine monitor, Garmin GPSMAP 496 and Garmin transponder.
Champions
We talk with Grand Champion builders about their experiences building some of the finest airplanes in the world.
