![A compact H3R Halon 1211 extinguisher, sized for a two-seat cockpit and safe on energized electrical fires. [Credit: H3R Aviation]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/mfr_H3R_A344T_Halon_1p25lb.jpg_preview-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Choosing the Right Cockpit Fire Extinguisher for Your Aircraft"){kind=tracking}
![[Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_2791.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "The Safety Triangle: Balancing Skill, Knowledge, and Judgment in Flying")
![A SubSonex personal jet in aerobatic flight. Thea design will expand with a two-place model kit in the months ahead. [Credit: Sonex Aircraft]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SubSonex_Acro.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Sonex Reopens")
![A CubCrafter’s Carbon Cub headed to Sun ‘n Fun in the time-honored tradition. [Credit: CubCrafters]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Carbon-Cub-UL.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Sun ‘n Fun 2026 Highlights: Electric RV-10, Modular Avionics, and MOSAIC")
![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=265&h=198&crop=1 "Learning How to Drag Your Tail")
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...
Staying Late
In magazine land—a parallel universe to the real world—I’m writing this between Oshkosh and Reno. The time between these two big events is a...
One Marvelous Community
This month’s column is inspired by the most recent AirVenture, which has left me reflecting on how it really isn’t the aircraft that draw...
Out of This World
I returned from AirVenture with a few story ideas and a horrible illness that prevented me from doing much of anything. “Might as well...
The Best Oshkosh Ever
I know many of you following the progress of my Hummingbird helicopter are probably thinking that flying it to the show is what made...
Following Footsteps
I was an airplane nut for as long as I can remember even though I had no family exposure to aviation. My father was...
Length Matters
Last month I wrote about AN washer usage. This month I’ll take on AN bolts—specifically, their grip length. Riveting stuff, huh? No? Somewhat captivating?...
In Case You Missed It
In-Flight Weather: Practice for Survival
This was going to get ugly.
Crossing southern Louisiana in the middle of the afternoon...
![Builder and pilot Mark Farver stands alongside his Continental IOX-340 powered RANS S-21. [Credit: Mark Farver]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Copy-of-build-38-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale.jpg?w=324&h=160&crop=1 "Cross-Country in a Homebuilt RANS S-21 Outbound to Oshkosh"){kind=tracking}
Cross-Country in a Homebuilt RANS S-21 Outbound to Oshkosh
The call came a half mile out from FISK.
"High wing, half mile from Fisk,...
Building as a Group
The Independence Five is an Oregon-based group building a bevy of DH.2s. Dean Sigler explores their approach to building and reports on how the project is progressing.
