Vortex Generators and STOL Performance
One way to solve the problem of flow separation—and stall—is by installing vortex generators on your kit aircraft.
Wind Tunnel
While two-control airplanes were designed to make a pilot’s life simpler, they come with significant compromises.
Wind Tunnel
Certain situations and configurations just call out for a ducted-fan installation. Barnaby Wainfan explains the benefits and drawbacks.
Wind Tunnel
Seemingly inconsequential alterations—even mounting an inflight camera on the airframe—can result in big changes to an aircraft’s handling and performance.
Wind Tunnel
Builders are often in a rush to prove the airworthiness of their homebuilt projects, but thorough flight-testing is essential.
Wind Tunnel
Taxi testing may seem to be a mere formality, but it is a vital step toward bringing a new aircraft to flight, and is not without its dangers.
Wind Tunnel
Taking off in an aircraft would seem to be a fairly simple, straightforward maneuver. But in fact it’s complicated, and a combination of factors must be just right for it to work.
Wind Tunnel
Learn how wingtip vortices are generated and how wake turbulence can affect your aircraft.
The STOL Equation
Barnaby Wainfan explains the challenges designers face in creating viable STOL aircraft.
Wind Tunnel
The way lift is distributed along a wing's span affects both the structure and its aerodynamics.
In Case You Missed It
Ask the DAR
What paperwork is necessary when a new owner makes an engine change? If floats are replaced with conventional gear, what does the change in gross weight mean for a plane's LSA status?
![The Classic Wittman W-10 Tailwind [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_4633.jpg?w=324&h=160&crop=1 "The Midpoint Reset: Navigating the Rest of the 2026 Homebuilt Horizon")
The Midpoint Reset: Navigating the Rest of the 2026 Homebuilt Horizon
You’re home again, and the airplane cabin still smells faintly of Florida and sunscreen....
