Like hundreds of fellow enthusiasts, the weather kept us out of Oshkosh 2019 on pre-show Saturday, and like dozens of refugees, we hunkered down in KDSM, Des Moines, Iowa, for the night. After the passage of several significant storms, we were glad the RV-10 was parked safely in a crowded but sturdy hangar. With an […]
Ticket to Fly. IFR or No?
Like hundreds of fellow enthusiasts, the weather kept us out of Oshkosh 2019 on pre-show Saturday, and like dozens of refugees, we hunkered down in KDSM, Des Moines, Iowa, for the night. After the passage of several significant storms, we were glad the RV-10 was parked safely in a crowded but sturdy hangar. With an […]
Garmin G5
Garmin figured out that not everyone was in the market for a full G3X EFIS suite. Some homebuilts out there still have six holes in a three-by-two arrangement in front of the pilot, and their owners aren’t always thrilled about tearing out the whole lot to gain redundancy, reliability, or capability. And that’s how we […]
Continental Officially Opens New Mobile Plant
Saturday, September 14, 2019, was a big day in Mobile, Alabama… the grand opening of Continental Aerospace Technologies’ new 275,000-square-foot design and manufacturing facility. Announced March 27, 2017, the facility represents a $75 million investment in general aviation. It will consolidate operations currently conducted in 10 or more separate buildings, some dating to WW-II, as […]
Turbine Temptation: Building the Airframe
Rule number one for building the SubSonex: Build from the inside out. Rule number two: Never close anything until you have no choice but to do so—you might need to access something on the inside. The SubSonex is small; even experienced builders who come to visit the shop remark at just how diminutive it really […]
Avionics Bootcamp: ADS-B For Canada and Beyond
If you’ve equipped your plane for the U.S. ADS-B mandate, there’s a good chance it won’t work in other countries, including Canada.
To (VHF) Nav or Nav Not
A KITPLANES Roundtable Technologies develop, sometimes slowly over time, with the kind of sloth that makes you wake up one day, see an evolved landscape, and question your strongly held beliefs. Such as: For any airplane you’d consider flying in instrument conditions, at least a modicum of redundancy is required. We used to want fully […]
Changing the Propeller, Can I Add Seats?
Question: I am upgrading the propeller on my aircraft and was wondering if you might be able to help me out. My situation is as follows: I bought my aircraft from an estate as the builder has passed away. The aircraft was certified in 1999, which makes it 20 years old, the propeller is the […]
Unairworthy: Missing Safety Wire
Some bolts have drilled heads for a reason: They are supposed to be safety wired. The first example is a wheel pant bracket. The left wheel pant bracket on this airplane was missing the safety wire. A discussion with the builder ensued until the right wheel pant was removed—that bolt had gone missing! The second […]
In Case You Missed it
Dawn Patrol
When a casually tossed length of two-by-four and a pristine fabric-covered airplane meet, the result isn't pretty. Author Dick Starks describes his wifes initiation to the art of fabric repair.
Learning To Weld
Ken Scott finds that practice makes perfect (or pretty good) as he puts his newfound wire-feed welding skills to the task of replacing rotting wood hangar doors with sturdy, steel-frame ones.
Free Flight
Filing IFR gives you the flexibility to take advantage during fluctuating weather conditions rather than being at the mercy of them.
