![[Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_2791.jpg?w=534&h=462&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")
![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")
Two Years On
Habitual readers of this column know I’m not a fan of ADS-B, if only because I see such tracking technology as primarily the apparatus...
Avgas Next Steps
It had to happen. Ever since leaded automotive fuel was phased out in the 1970s, there’s been talk about getting the lead out of...
See Fit
Recently, a former airline colleague was killed when his Experimental aircraft impacted rapidly rising terrain while in level flight. It is easy to know...
Metallic Puce and Other Considerations
Airplane people tend to be drawn to all Machines That Move Us. Cars, motorcycles, boats. (Trains, too, but it’s cumbersome, as an individual, to...
Stardusted
Late. Always perpetually late. Some people are early as if by breathing, but for all my panting it never happens. Which is sort of...
Archive: April 2012
Formation flying was the subject of our April 2012 cover. RV builder Dave Klages took us through the prep and practice for formation work...
Cowl Flapped
Invention and experimentation in actual practice (compared to idealized fantasy) don’t usually offer up a straight line from concept to champagne-fueled celebrations of success....
A Matter of Trust
Most of us have been in a Mom and Pop café or shop, usually out in the country, where the wall on one side...
Of Novices, Needles and Numbers
I was at 6000 feet agl when I pulled the stick back with consternation, pushed it left with hesitation and watched snow-covered fields fill...
Miles Versus Knots
To put it politely, we were recently taken to task for using mph instead of knots when reporting on an aviation speed record because,...
In Case You Missed It
2018 Homebuilt Aircraft Directory
So you want to buy or build an Experimental Aircraft? Heres how to find the perfect project. Introduction Directory compiled by Omar Filipovic.
Light Stuff
Although Van’s has been a top-selling kit manufacturer for years, the company’s foray into the SLSA (factory-built Light Sport Aircraft) market with the RV-12 has proven to be challenging—and the airplane may not ever be sold ready-to-fly. By Dave Martin.
Fabric, Demystified and Non-Toxic
Marc Cook takes part in a three-day, fabric-covering course offered by Stewart Systems, learns about the company's water-based product line, and picks up a few pointers along the way.
