![Careful planning and determination will get you to your goal of building and flying your own airplane. [Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Pulsar-Sunset.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Last Bits")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AdobeStock_262642207_AGCuesta.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Winging It")
![Lowell Farrand spent years serving as an FAA DAR and is in the EAA Hall of Fame. He offers sound advise to builders. [Credit: Bill Wilson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-4.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Think Like a Builder")
![The 160 hp turbocharged Rotax 916iS is a four-stroke piston engine with redundant electronic fuel injection and ignition. [Credit: BPR Rotax]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/PIC_916-iS_iSc-2.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "2026 Engine Buyer’s Guide")
![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")
Starkey’s Custom Spark Plug Adapter Lock Wrench
Make spark plug changes easier with a custom spark plug wrench for auto plug adapters on aircraft engines.
Errant Holes: Un-drilling, Up-drilling and Adopting
Homebuilding has no undo key. Learn causes of drill errors, a hole‑marking prevention method, and three easy fixes when mistakes happen.
Taming the Wiring Rat’s Nest
Learn how to avoid wiring “rats nests” in your homebuilt aircraft with proper labeling, terminals, lacing and expert tips for reliable electrical systems.
A History of Aircraft Wiring Insulation
Discover the evolution of aircraft wiring insulation—from rubber and cotton to nylon, PVC, and Tefzel—and learn practical tricks for wiring your homebuilt.
Custom Heat Exchanger Fabrication
Designing and fabricating custom radiator and intercooler systems with packaging challenges.
Eating the Elephant—Part 3
Designing cockpits is part art, part foresight—flexibility wins when your perfect panel meets inevitable evolution mid-build.
RV-10 Paint Scheme Paints a Family Story
Four generations influenced Ernie and Jeanne Lietzan’s RV-10.
Catching Up
Hangar tightens as a Murphy Moose build begins, sparking shop upgrades, parts hunts, and reflections on wind and freedom.
Oil Filter Testing
Some aviation oil filters fall short of efficiency standards, but still protect engines—barely. Understand what yours really does.
In Case You Missed It
To Launch a Light Sport
After being hauled on a trailer down a winding mountain road, the Jabiru J250 unintentionally has its first short flight (at the airport). By Bob Fritz.
