Builder Spotlight

Many of those who attend the big airshows, Oshkosh AirVenture or Sun n Fun, for example, stroll right past the buildings where would-be builders are trying a building technique on for size. Not so our intrepid contributor Cory Emberson, who got a schedule, circled three sessions of interest, and not only completed each class but lived to write about the experience.

Builders share their successes.

Although many more than eight Light Sport Aircraft can be built for less than $40,000, Dave Martin highlights some of the aircraft he has flown and offers personal insights on why they may be the way to go for you.

After a quick and easy installation, PS Engineerings new PMA9000EX audio panel is test-flown by Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook in his Glastar Sportsman.

Its a new world in homebuilt avionics, driven by electronic instruments and powered by an electrical system tailored to meet each specific application. Resident Avionics Guru Stein Bruch walks you through numerous possible configurations for powering your equipment, and offers tips on how to do the installation right the first time.

Aspen Avionics AT300 is designed to be a drop-in replacement for a vertical speed indicator, but you'll get a lot more usable information in the cockpit when you couple it to your GPS; by Rick Lindstrom.

Builders share their successes.

Builder Walter Treadwell has taken on projects that many of us would find daunting, and he keeps upping the ante. First came a Lancair 235, then a plansbuilt Jenny JN-4, followed by a P-38 and then his current project, a resized Sikorsky S-38. Some 4000 hours into the new project, Treadwell has a ways to go, but fortunately he has a mini AgCat to fly in the meantime; by Bob Fritz.

Author Chuck Deiterich details how to build your own simple but effective visual glideslope indicator using common household construction materials.

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.