![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")
Van’s RV-9: New Rotax Power
Lockwood Aero’s Rotax 916iS firewall-forward package pushes the RV-9 to 190 knots.
Where Do Airplane Parts Come From?
Building your own replacement kit parts, which is no different than scratch-building from plans, may save you money and time.
Building an Addiction
The greatest of a successful builder’s attributes is an unshakable belief in tomorrow.
Pie in the Sky
Now that the wedding is behind us and house projects have slowed, Brian and I have more time to focus on what matters most—airplanes.
The Iceman Cometh
Every pilot who has ever experienced icing conditions will remember their first time.
Master Caution
My original intent for this month’s treatise was to produce the first installment of my upcoming Kitfox build series, which I have been greatly looking forward to. However, as often happens in life, life itself got in the way.
In Case You Missed It
2013 Rotorcraft Buyer’s Guide
If flying a rotorcraft is your goal, this is a great time to start exploring your options—there’s been growth in this segment, and even more expansion is on the horizon. By Roy Beisswenger.
The Dawn Patrol
Dick Starks recounts the tall tales and travails that The Dawn Patrol encountered at this years Salute to Veterans Airshow.
Down to Earth
A month after the engine was first started on the RV-10, author Amy Laboda and her husband, Barry Marz, scheduled a visit from DAR Ray Howell, received the airworthiness certificate, and commenced ground runs. It sounds simple, but so much effort went into getting that little piece of paper.
