![[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")
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...
Affordable! Fast! Too Hot!
Marketing departments willfully ignore the difference between objective and subjective statements, especially the marketing department claiming $3990 is an affordable monthly payment for a...
Long-EZs and More
If there’s a chance to meet or hear an aviation celebrity speak, it’s my observation it’s worth the effort. Much of this is just...
The Dream Is Alive
I don’t know if you’re like me and read magazines all random and willy-nilly, not necessarily from front to back. But if you are,...
Spare the Wait and Carry On
What began, for one homebuilder, as a cross-country odyssey to AirVenture turned into an altogether different odyssey when his airplane’s voltmeter began an un-commanded...
Lessons From Galesburg
I’ve had a number of readers ask me if I managed to make it to the Stearman National Convention, and I’m happy to report...
Rag Wing Roots
These days, I seem to be associated mostly with metal airplanes, RVs in particular. Just take a look at that byline down there—I have...
In Case You Missed It
Bad Indication or a Real Problem?
How many of us have seen an unusual engine temp/parameter indication and wondered if...
Assistance for Resistance
This month’s home shop project was suggested by Matt Burch. Matt sent a couple...
To Dream The (Almost Impossible) Dream
Almost from the beginning of aviation, the idea of a plane you could drive/car you could fly has captured both the popular imagination and the hearts of some dedicated experimentalists. The dream remains alive, and realization, the author says, is fettered only by the lack of willing investors; by Murry L. Rozansky.