![Ten hours of dual instruction in a tailwheel-equipped aircraft is usually required for proficiency. [Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AdobeStock_354747155.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Learning How to Drag Your Tail")
![The alternative to bending down as the propeller is pulled through the compression stroke is to keep the back straight and bend the knees slightly, stepping away in a crouch. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1519-scaled.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Manual Starting Methods")
![The newly-restored F-24 enjoying the morning sun. [All Images Credited to Mike Davenport]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_0001.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Golden Age Revival")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AdobeStock_176619176.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Instructional Inflexibility")
Develop Today, Sell Tomorrow
While the Experimental world has matured greatly in the last few decades, we’re no longer seeing the rapid rate of change experienced in the 1970s and through the ’80s.
Beyond the Stats
Shoppin’ for a project, are ya? Here are some truths: Factory-stated build times are bare minimums. Double them and then toss that number out...
Why Reno Mattered
With nearly six decades of Reno air racing now behind us, it’s worth reflecting on what we gained from the experience. We’d better remember,...
Reno: The Grit and the Glory
Few eras in aviation have changed with the clarity of the National Championship Air Races leaving Reno-Stead airport for an uncertain future. For 59...
Coming of Age at Reno
As I start this month’s column, it hasn’t fully sunk in that I won’t be going back to Reno, but I still feel a...
A Fine Specimen
There’s something you probably can guess about so-called factory airplanes—examples of Experimental aircraft built for design evaluation as well as press and customer exposure—but...
Inserting Bolts, Installing Nuts
I never set out to write a hardware trilogy, yet here we are. A little ditty on washer usage begat a column on bolt-length...
In Case You Missed It
All About Avionics, Part 9
One of the final steps in getting your avionics suite to work is installation of some sort of antenna to capture various radio frequencies. Failing to choose the right antenna and install it properly can compromise the whole installation. Rather than focusing on the intricacies of antenna design, the author discusses the merits of internal versus external for particular equipment plus where to place them; by Stein Bruch
Marking Rivet Locations
Laying out rivet patterns can take a lot of time, especially when the drawings...
Letters
Air/Fuel Ratio Display
Great article on air/fuel ratio monitoring in the March 2019 issue. Is...
Murphy Resurgent
Darryl Murphy’s airplane company has a new owner and a new push for backcountry relevance.