![[Credit: Mike Davenport]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Over-Stave-Lake-3.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Glasair Sportsman 2+2 Build Part 3")
![Coming in for a landing at Humberd’s Farm [All Images Credited to Jon Humberd]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/9-1.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Overcoming Setbacks on the Zenith 750SD Xtreme")
![Humberd and his daughter using the 701 for some farm duty transportation. [All Images Credited to Jon Humberd]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1-3.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Builder’s Spotlight")
![Checking out East Tennessee scenery from the 701. [Credit: Jon Humberd]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/3.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Builder’s Spotlight")
![[Credit: Jon Humberd]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20-2.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Epic Is Back")
The Home Machinist
Phillips? Flat head? Double blade? Bob Fritz clears up questions you didn't even know you had about screwdrivers. When you're building a plane, the right tool for the right job (and right space) really does matter.
Cable-Exit Fairings
Don't let unsightly cable-exit holes spoil the look or performance of your aircraft.
All About Avionics: Autopilots
Want to be fresh at the end of a long flight? Experimental-only autopilots beat their certified counterparts. They're usually less expensive, more capable and far more user-serviceable (if you know what you're doing). By Stein Bruch.
Home Machinist
Let’s take it to the edge. Where is the edge? If, up to now, all you’ve done is scribe a target and eyeball the position of the drill bit, this is for you. By Bob Fritz.
Simplified One-Off Electronic Projects
As homebuilders, we are accustomed to doing a lot of preliminary and/or tooling work to build a couple of pieces for our aircraft. Tom Kuffel created an auxiliary fuel transfer pump controller for his GlaStar Sportsman for next to nothing, a real savings over the retail price of $300, and he describes how he did it.
To Launch a Light Sport
Bob Fritz finds that in the midst of making progress, the build process has its own value. Here, he walks through the process of designing and installing an on-board fire extinguisher system for his Jabiru J250, and offers a few tips for locating holes and installing the wings.
Pondering Powerplants
Since the beginning, homebuilders have gazed upon the engine lurking under the cowl of a certified light aircraft and thought, There has got to be a better way. Rick Lindstrom looks at several aeromotive engine conversions, from the practical to the semi-exotic.
Alternative Realities
Larry Simpsons first building experience was deepened by his engine choice: an Eggenfellner H6 Subaru conversion. His attention to detail and tailored modifications led to more of a hands-on experience than he expected-sometimes frustrating, expensive and fascinating. By Larry Simpson.
In Case You Missed It
![Careful planning and determination will get you to your goal of building and flying your own airplane. [Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Pulsar-Sunset.jpg?w=324&h=160&crop=1 "Last Bits")
Last Bits
Of course money matters in aviation, but most of the time we never actually sit down and run the calculations.
Design Process: Aileron Types
The size and planform of the ailerons are set by the roll-control power needed...
Are We There Yet?
We all know that building your own airplane is a project thats never really finished, and having a partner only complicates the process, as two viewpoints about necessary equipment must be reconciled before progress can be made. Such was the case when these two partners in an RV-9A tried to come to terms with what avionics a panel (and the pilots) really needs; by Roger Molthuis.
Free Flight
What does a video game have in common with building an airplane? More than you might think.