![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=534&h=462&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")
![A STOL CH 750 [Credit: Mike Davenport]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/STOL-CH-750.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Why Are So Many Airplanes Yellow?")
![A Zenith STOL CH701 on Zenair amphibious floats rests on a sandbar on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. [Credit: Zenith Aircraft]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/zenair-floats-STOL_CH_701a-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Zenith STOL CH 701 at 40: The Iconic ‘Sky Jeep’ Design Audit"){kind=tracking}
![[Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_2791.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "The Safety Triangle: Balancing Skill, Knowledge, and Judgment in Flying")
Build, Test, Refine and Fix—Part 2: Taxi Testing
All aircraft testing, including taxi tests, requires planning and discipline.
Building an Addiction
The greatest of a successful builder’s attributes is an unshakable belief in tomorrow.
ScaleBirds P-36 Hawk
ScaleBirds, a newcomer to the kit manufacturing scene, chose to start their line of replica fighters with one of the first all-metal U.S. military pursuit ships of WW-II—the P-36.
Pie in the Sky
Now that the wedding is behind us and house projects have slowed, Brian and I have more time to focus on what matters most—airplanes.
James Aircraft’s State of the Art
Under new ownership, James Aircraft continues to support RV builders
Best of Both Worlds
Can we convert a certified aircraft into an Experimental so we can get the freedoms we really want?
Eating the Elephant
One person can’t imagine eating a whole elephant. It’s simply impossible. But the answer to the idiomatic question remains: one bite at a time!
The Iceman Cometh
Every pilot who has ever experienced icing conditions will remember their first time.
In Case You Missed It
What’s New
An Aussie Outback SLSA debuts in the U.S., a floating battery eliminator works with the Lightspeed Zulu headset, and Trio Avionics introduces the Pro Pilot autopilot.