![[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")
Flapjacks and Fly-Ins
One of the most enjoyable and useful “tools” is membership in a local chapter of the EAA.
Let Me Down Easy
Emergency Glide is a valuable tool to give the pilot some breathing room to troubleshoot in the air and have the controlled descent handled by the EFIS.
Eighty Percent to Go
That last 20% that feels like 80% is the time to slow down and pull out checklists, get other eyes on the project, call for a TC visit and sit in the airplane making noises.
Hawking That New Engine
After 20 years the long-gestating DeltaHawk diesel is suddenly hotter than Jeff LaVelle’s turbos on a 400-mph lap.
Repeat Offender
This time I want an airplane strictly built for the joy of flying. I want something simple and relatively cheap for that magical first and last half-hour of daylight, to be low and slow with no place in particular to go and sporting a massive grin.
Are You Shorthanding?
If you're not careful, your non-building friends will find a way to change the subject.
Crew Coordination, Working the Weather
Having a reliable and well-trained partner can help to evaluate not only a course of action—but the decision-making process that goes into that plan.
In Case You Missed It
Wind Tunnel
Nine simple rules, distilled from years of experience (making—and fixing—assorted mistakes), can help any aircraft designer avoid disaster.
Starlink In The Air
How to Buy, Install, and Use Starlink in Your Aircraft
The long cross-country got quiet...
