![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")
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...
Living With RVs
For the last 20 plus years any person who’s thought of building their own airplane has had to get past one big question: “Why...
Hey There, Charlie
I’m sure there were perfectly fine used homebuilts closer to me than N531CE—it was at the other end of the country, after all. But...
Checkpoints: AirVenture 2019
As I write this, we have been home from AirVenture 2019 exactly one week, and I am feeling much better than when I wrote...
This Puddle We Play In
You are a rare person, participating in a unique hobby. You’ve seen the reactions when you tell people at Friday night pickleball tournaments that...
In Case You Missed It
Coloring Outside the Lines
Enhance your homebuilt aircraft with clever, lightweight mods like glove boxes, armrests, and cargo cleats—without sacrificing safety or balance.
Ly-Con O-Ring Trick
When you join two halves of a flat aviation engine together, they often weep between the starter and the alternator. Not only is this unsightly, its wasteful and makes completing an overhaul more cumbersome than need be. Enter Ly-Con, whose groovy O-ring process promises to stop leaks before they start.
