![Oshkosh is more popular than ever with three-quarters of a million people in attendance at AirVenture 2026. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_7321-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Wide World of Airplanes"){kind=tracking}
![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=265&h=198&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?")
Statistics, Lies and Damn Lies…
Aviation is a numbers game. We fly the airplane by the numbers, we use numbers to navigate and we have to deal with numbers...
Headset Histrionics
I logged my first official instructional flight on June 17, 1975, at age 15. I already had my private and an instrument rating before...
What Capability Are You Building Toward?
New home, new airport—they present an opportunity to learn. This learning has been especially acute since the beginning of the year and my move...
Low Compression
Usually, we look for something greater than 60/80 when doing compression checks on Lycoming engines. A reading such as this one (36/80) really warrants...
Off the Grid (Chapter 2)
Here we go with what I promised you last month. This may be the simplest—and yet the most complex—discussion of what it means to...
NPT and Aircraft Fittings–Don’t Get That Size Wrong!
National Pipe Thread is a U.S. standard for tapered threads, which we find on many aircraft fittings. Contrast this with straight threads, which are...
Fixed-Pitch Props
Choosing a prop for your homebuilt is always a compromise that involves consideration of cost, performance, how you'll fly and more. Still, sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.
The Decision to Polish
To quote a friend, “When you paint, the aircraft will never look better than when it leaves the paint shop. When you polish, it...
On Thanksgiving
One of the compelling reasons to aviate is it can demand the ultimate payment, and with an impartiality Hemingway appreciated. That alone elevates flying...
In Case You Missed It
Weir’s Wires
Mil-spec wire isn't just for military aircraft. It's the only kind of wire you want to use in your aircraft, too.
2019 Homebuilt Aircraft Directory
So many airplanes, so little time: over 1000 aircraft to choose from. Also learn how 10 of our regular contributors chose their own experimental aircraft. Introduction Directory compiled by Omar Filipovic.
