![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=534&h=462&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")
![sideview shows the Better Half with the full VW case. [Credit: Legal Eagle Airplane]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Milholland-V-Twin_Side-View.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Better Half VW")
Just In Case
I’ve participated in countless conversations with homebuilders that included the phrase, “Just in case.” The phrase is usually used while discussing flight safety scenarios...
Cutting It Short
Recidivist readers will recall last month I went on a bender over a breeze in Mojave and how a single chock saved the day....
How About a Little Prop Talk?
Here’s something new for me. Until my recently acquired GlaStar, I have never owned an airplane without an adjustable propeller. True, the Pulsar XP’s...
The Fellowship of the Wing
In the classic J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy Lord of the Rings, a small band of intrepid adventurers are sent on a near-impossible mission—to save the...
Toolcraft
The best tool for certain tasks may require a bit of ingenuity and home shop fabrication.
The purpose of this treatise is twofold. First it’s...
Unforeseeable Experiences
Of this I’m convinced; had I arrived in Fargo, North Dakota in a Skyhawk, Sundowner or Cherokee instead of a homebuilt, my brief stay...
A Chock Talk
About a year ago my son whittled us some traveling chocks, just bits of 2-inch aluminum angle Swiss-cheesed to save weight. We’re a performance...
The Lessons We Learn
It wasn’t the call I expected from the ferry pilot. Somewhere on the leg into Bloomington, Illinois, the GlaStar started running strangely. On the...
Maxing Out the Fun Factor
For those who have experienced it, the fun of going on a flying trip with your friends and their families in the airplanes you...
In Case You Missed It
What’s New
Beyerdnamic offers a new headset, two new Cub kits are approved by FAA, and the portable AvMap is updated.