![Low-level aerial view of AirVenture, looking down the main thoroughfare toward Boeing Plaza, with the flightline and runway 18/36 beyond. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_4521.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "AirVenture 2026 in Review")
![Builder and pilot Mark Farver stands alongside his Continental IOX-340 powered RANS S-21. [Credit: Mark Farver]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Copy-of-build-38-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Cross-Country in a Homebuilt RANS S-21 Outbound to Oshkosh"){kind=tracking}
![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=265&h=198&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")
![A sleek Glasair II. [Credit: Glasair]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Glasair-II_2863.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "Class of ’86: How 1986 Transformed the Modern Kit Building Industry")
Class of ’86: How 1986 Transformed the Modern Kit Building Industry
Forty years ago this year, Chris Heintz’s CH701 first flew. That alone would be reason enough for a celebration. The 701 is one of...
![[Credit: ChatGPT]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/What-did-you-miss-Topaz-Gigapixel-4x-scale.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "Last Bits"){kind=tracking}
Last Bits
Becky stood back from the RV-7 and admired every inch of the newly constructed airplane. She’d made her first flight a month ago and...
![The best builders learn to combine both mindsets. They build like engineers but think like future mechanics. [Credit: Bill Wilson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_0037.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "Building vs. Fixing")
Building vs. Fixing
Somewhere during every aircraft project, a builder faces a quiet moment of truth. It might happen while drilling a hole in a structural member,...
![[Credit: Wikimedia Commons]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/F-117_Nighthawk_Front.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "Odd and Unusual Aircraft")
Odd and Unusual Aircraft
If you look at the books in my library, and by that, I mean the ones on the shelves, not the ones next to......
![After nearly 75 years, the basic Tailwind design remains sound. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_4636.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "The Wittman Tailwind")
The Wittman Tailwind
Still viable in an age of uber-expensive composite homebuilts, the Wittman Tailwind continues to attract builders seeking maximum performance on minimum cost. Plans for...
![Trimming composites gets the full PPE job. [Credit: Eric Stewart]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7-2.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "A Few of My Favorite Tools")
A Few of My Favorite Tools
Occasionally I see articles by colleagues on their favorite tools (a somewhat less controversial topic than favorite airplanes). I’ve had a growing list in...
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AdobeStock_125628775.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "Roll Recovery, Part 2")
Roll Recovery, Part 2
Part 1 of Rich Stowell’s series on upset and roll recovery appeared in the March 2026 issue of Kitplanes. In Part 2, he focuses...
![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=324&h=235&crop=1 "Learning How to Drag Your Tail")
Learning How to Drag Your Tail
“I want you to work on a taildragger checkout with me; can we get started this afternoon?” I get that a lot. Pilots see...
![Coming in for a landing at Humberd’s Farm [All Images Credited to Jon Humberd]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/9-1.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "Overcoming Setbacks on the Zenith 750SD Xtreme")
Overcoming Setbacks on the Zenith 750SD Xtreme
It is easy to realize what your true passion is when one thing is continually on your mind. Even with the multiple job duties...
![The Classic Wittman W-10 Tailwind [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_4633.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "The Midpoint Reset: Navigating the Rest of the 2026 Homebuilt Horizon")
The Midpoint Reset: Navigating the Rest of the 2026 Homebuilt Horizon
You’re home again, and the airplane cabin still smells faintly of Florida and sunscreen. The bugs on the leading edges are mostly gone, but...
In Case You Missed It
VHF Com–the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
With a panel full of glass and diodes turned into all the colors of...
Light Stuff
Roy Beisswenger discusses a rational path for owners of sport aircraft to become commercially rated.
Orphan Part Angel
The Glasair static port design has a beveled segment that bisects the centerline of the port. This adds more than a minor complication to the machining process.