![Maintenance technician William Vergonet conducts an inspection on a Cub. [Credit: Lisa Turner]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_3535.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Post-Flight Maintenance Debrief")
![Pat McKiernan has found that he and his dad who built this beautiful RV-7 simply learned to enjoy the build. [Credit: Bill Wilson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Builder.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Life Lessons From Building an Airplane")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AdobeStock_51865118.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "FAA MOSAIC Rule Fully Implemented")
![My 36 year old clipboard from when I started at Boeing. Engineering ruler and fastener/fastener hole cheat sheets. [Credit: Andrew Robinson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Liaison_clipboard.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "What Is a Liaison Engineer?")
![At Sun ‘n Fun 2026, Viking Aircraft Engines surprised the crowd with its first complete kit — the V-42, a high-wing twin powered by two Honda-based engines. Here’s an early look. [Credit: Andrew Robinson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/P1020293.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Viking V-42 Twin")
Spinner Bulkheads – Getting the Spacing Right
If you have ever needed to change props or spinners on your completed homebuilt, you have probably sweated out the clearance between the rear...
Tidy Up with Adel Clamps
There is so much to learn by simply observing the handiwork of others. Some builders are just plain creative when it comes to organizing...
Shop-made Blind Rivet Nut
Blind rivet nuts, also called rivnuts, rivet nuts or insert nuts, are a clever way to add threaded bosses to thin-wall sheet metal structures...
Improper and Proper D-Sub Connectors
The connector in the left photo was discovered on the back of an autopilot control head that was intermittent. D-subs require a backshell (right...
Metal Magic: Drilling Like a Pro
It pays to get good with drilling because you'll be doing a lot of it.
Design Process: Flaps
Flaps change the geometry of the wing to allow the pilot to change the aerodynamic characteristics of the airplane to match the needs of...
Kit Confidential—Hardware Kits
I may be guilty of sitting on this story too long. In 2003, on the eve of my employment in the kit-aircraft industry, an...
In Case You Missed It
Around the Patch
Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook sees progress and potential in developing electric motor and battery technology.
Around the Patch
Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook discusses the relative merits of internal versus external antennas, after using his Glastar Sportsman 2+2 as a test bed. His conclusions have to do with both the material used to build the airplane as well as location of the antenna on the aircraft.
