![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")
What’s New
ZuluLog offers a pilot logbook for Android devices, Zenith and UL Power announce a firewall-forward kit for the CH 650, and Garmin introduces the aera 796, its new flagship portable navigator.
Idle Hands
Marc Cook reminisces about the hours of enjoyment he found working on his Glasair Sportsman.
Unusual Attitude
Vans Aircraft founder Richard VanGrunsven considers flight safety, and how improving our building and piloting skills would do more to reduce the number of mishaps than additional regulations would.
Alternative Energies
Electric Light Sport Aircraft are few and far between, owing primarily to the heavy batteries eating into LSA weight restrictions. The Alternair Amp is poised to change all that. By Dean Sigler.
Down To Earth
Homebuilt aircraft played a key role in bringing aid to the Bahamas after Hurricane Irene. Amy Laboda explains how you can join in future relief efforts.
Light Stuff
Interested in ultralights? Roy Beisswenger explains what is available and how to make the right choice for your needs.
Free Flight
The words "test pilot" conjure images of steely-eyed derring-do, but the reality is often a world away from all that.
Editor’s Log
Editor Mary Bernard makes the case for presenting the annual Aircraft Buyer's Guides data in a new, more useful form.
What’s New
Find welding resources at USAWeld.com, Ztron Labs offers an alternative to conventional aircraft circuit breakers, and record your flights with the AV-HD video system from Data Toys. Edited by Abby Ventzke.
Viewfinder
Marc Cook looks at the possibility of Glasair Aviation initiating a new Two Weeks to Taxi builder-assistance program for the Van's RV-10.
In Case You Missed It
Around the Patch
A recent announcement that a major manufacturer would no longer be making and selling carburetors came as a shock. Although another company has taken up the challenge and will supply carbs, at least for the time being, this news may be the impetus needed to move more aviators toward fuel-injected power for their homebuilt aircraft.
Taking a Shine To 6061-T6 – Part 1
Polishing aluminum transforms gray metal into a mirror finish—cheap, timeless, and endlessly messy but deeply rewarding.