![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")
Small Screens, Big Deal
Just as we wrapped up our big-screen EFIS buyer’s guide in this issue, Garmin released its new GI 275. I’d heard rumors that Garmin,...
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...
In Case You Missed It
Good Vibrations, Bad Vibrations
Mating a prop to an engine requires more than a big wrench and some safety wire. Follow along on a real propeller vibration test.
Project Management for Builders
Sometimes you need tools you wont find in your toolbox. By Lynne Wainfan, Ph.D.
RANS S-21 Outbound
Great looks, easy to build, and a wide choice of engines. Is this the RANS you've been waiting for?
All About Avionics: EFIS Dreams 2011
The industry holds its own while waiting for the economic recovery to kick in. By Stein Bruch and Marc Cook.