Exploring

Road trip.

Electric vehicles and aircraft may be the future, but how will we create the energy to power them while minimizing environmental damage? By Dean Sigler.

When it came to choosing a kit aircraft to build, columnist Amy Laboda and her husband opted for a metal design, in part because it would be resistant to destruction by lightning strike and also because fatigue is easier to detect in metal than it is in a composite plane. However, new nanotube technology, if integrated into composite construction material, could not only help identify wear problems, but also potentially heal them.

It’s been a couple of years since we looked at how homebuilts generally fared in the accident statistics vis-à-vis certified aircraft. This time around we’ll look at the safety records of specific homebuilt designs, starting with the Van’s RV.

It’s The Great Pumpkin Drop Charlie Brown!

The FAA mandates the use of emergency locator transmitters so that downed aircraft can be found and assistance provided. But times are changing, and its important to understand the nature of the new technology so that you can best equip yourself; by Bob Fritz.

Marc Cook explains the nuts-and-bolts of how we achieve the aerial photography that appears in the magazine, and offers a few pointers on how to capture your own plane in flight.

Homebuilt aircraft manufacturers are sometimes reluctant to admit that they have created a less than perfect design, let alone offer a fix. Arion Aircrafts Nick Otterback is bucking that tide; by Marc Cook.

Illuminate your panel, a new EFIS, and a Subaru-based firewall-forwaard engine package; edited by Mary Bernard.

More acronyms? Amy Laboda details the integration of ADS-B into the ATC system, and what it means for the Experimental aviation community.