![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=534&h=462&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")
![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")
Dawn Patrol
When a casually tossed length of two-by-four and a pristine fabric-covered airplane meet, the result isn't pretty. Author Dick Starks describes his wifes initiation to the art of fabric repair.
Engine Beat
What are your options to get the annual condition inspection done when you're not the original builder of the aircraft? By Steve Ells.
Ask the DAR
Whats changed with the advent of the revised 51% rule? Fortunately, not as much as you might think.
Light Stuff
Having completed his Vans RV-12 ELSA, Dave Martin revisits a weekend Repairman Inspection course to prepare for his first annual condition inspection.
What’s New
A glare shield for Garmin GPS units; Sportair USAs certified pre-owned LSA program; quick reference for aera and AV8OR Ace; Better Half VW announces Legal Eagle XL. Edited by Mary Bernard.
Rendesvouz with Destiny
Dick Starks and The Dawn Patrol attend the biennial Rendezvous on hallowed ground: the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
Product Review: Garmin’s New aera
Paul Bertorelli reviews Garmin's latest offering, the aera. It's compact, powerful and versatile.
Little Bird the Kitfox
Amy Laboda's Kitfox 4, Little Bird, won't break any speed records. But it will tuck nicely into a short turf airstrip in time for a barbecue.
Ask the DAR
What do you need to do when you buy an Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft? What should a builder/owner do when they're ramp checked?
Experimotive
Rick Lindstrom looks at Maxwell Propulsions upgraded FWF system, and peeks into the systems future.
In Case You Missed It
The Dawn Patrol
When one email gets forwarded far and wide, an airport picnic (featuring a surfeit of fried green tomatoes) ends up attracting a mob. But The Dawn Patrol rises to the challenge.
Learning Complex Systems Means Knowing How They Work
The importance of understanding your aircrafts avionics systems in terms of form, function and troubleshooting.
The Home Machinist
How do you turn out non-cylindrical objects with your lathe? Why, by using a four-jaw chuck, of course. And there's a way to effectively employ that 'ole' adjustable wrench that might have escaped you for years; by Bob Fritz.