![[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")
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...
Cracks, Both Foreign and Domestic
Perhaps like me, you missed the big show this year. That is, they ran AirVenture without me, and I’m not sure anyone really noticed....
Notes From the Heartland
No surprise that my first trip back to Oshkosh in years was a funny combination of beginner’s excitement and jaded journalist’s déjà vu. So...
Headset Trial: David Clark Pro-X2
In this Avionics Bootcamp video series, we put the David Clark Pro-X2 on the evaluation bench and took them flying for this field report.
The 2-Mile Decision
For those of you who read my column last month on keeping the fires lit, I find it ironic that I find myself telling...
Taxes and Shipping Additional
Most homebuilders—and just I’m spit-balling here—have waited a long time to justify the cost of building an airplane.
The Big Scare
You look down at the instruments, and instantly energy drains down your body as if bomb bay doors on the soles of your feet had opened and the concrete floor were a sponge.
In Case You Missed It
Engine Beat
The Rotax 912 engine has become ubiquitous in homebuilt aviation, and now a company has found a way to improve its fuel efficiency. By Steve Ells.
Letters
Fiberglass/Epoxy LayupsIn "Maintenance Matters" on page 52, a photo shows a fiberglass/epoxy layup...