![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=534&h=462&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")
![Members of the North Idaho High School Aerospace Program gathered at KSZT [Credit: North Idaho High School Aerospace Program]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_3499.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "North Idaho High School Student ACES Fly the Aircraft They Built")
Firewall Forward: Engine Controls
Here's what you need to know to get your engine controls—propeller, throttle, mixture, carburetor heat, cabin heat—placed correctly and working properly.
Flight Testing
Organize your test program beforehand, and you not only maximize your use of time, but also understand your airplane far better than someone who is just running the hours off the clock.
Build It Better: For Want of a Nail
In aviation, one pin out of place can result in disaster. Details matter.
Ask the DAR
Is replacing one panel with another considered a major modification? And what is a “significant” change to weight and balance?
Legal Eagle XL
Sometimes slow and steady wins the race, especially when you want a leisurely wind-in-your-hair, no-fuss flight. The plansbuilt Legal Eagle XL answers that call.
Bearhawk LSA
Simple and light—very light: The Bearhawk LSA is the latest addition to the Bearhawk family, the culmination of decades of design experience.
Firewall Forward: Exhaust Systems
Besides venting engine exhaust, an exhaust system must heat the cabin and warm the carb. Some crucial rules must be heeded, no matter what kind of system you choose.
Flight Testing
You've planned; you've prepared. Now we look at how to conduct your first flight in a homebuilt aircraft.
Build It Better: Play by the Rules
Some rules are made for you, and some rules are made by you. Those personal rules create a higher level of safety for you and your passengers, and they are the mark of professionalism in a pilot.
Maintenance Matters
No one wants to experience a faulty mag drop (especially with a nervous passenger on board). Steve Ells offers some tips on how to reduce misfires and maximize ignition-system performance.
In Case You Missed It
How I Cross-Country
Way back in the previous century—closer to the middle of the century than the...
A Sign of the Zodiac (Part 5)
Builder Rick Lindstrom’s Zenith Zodiac 601 XL project continues as he discusses the successes and setbacks he experienced along the way to the first flight; by Rick Lindstrom.
The Iceman Cometh
Every pilot who has ever experienced icing conditions will remember their first time.