![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")
![[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...
![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=324&h=235&crop=1 "Last Bits")
Last Bits
Of course money matters in aviation, but most of the time we never actually sit down and run the calculations.
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AdobeStock_262642207_AGCuesta.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "Winging It")
Winging It
Sometimes an aircraft feature matters a great deal, and sometimes the air simply doesn't care one way or the other.
![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=324&h=235&crop=1 "Think Like a Builder")
Think Like a Builder
When a project moves outside your knowledge base, knowing when to bring in help is the mark of a smart 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=324&h=235&crop=1 "2026 Engine Buyer’s Guide")
2026 Engine Buyer’s Guide
Our annual survey of the wide array of engine options available to homebuilders, from certified to experimental.
![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=324&h=235&crop=1 "Manual Starting Methods")
Manual Starting Methods
Practical techniques for hand-propping and other manual engine starts when an electric starter isn't available.
![The newly-restored F-24 enjoying the morning sun. [All Images Credited to Mike Davenport]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_0001.jpg?w=324&h=235&crop=1 "Golden Age Revival")
Golden Age Revival
Werner Griesbeck's meticulous total rebuild brings a classic 1938 Fairchild F-24 back into the air after decades.
In Case You Missed It
Cut the Can, Man
Inspecting your filter after an oil change is a good idea, but what tool is best for opening the can? Bob Fritz tests the gamut of oil filter cutters so that you don't have to.
Flight Review: Lockwood Super Drifter
Like piloting an AirCam, only more so, the Lockwood Super Drifter is for those who can’t get enough of that wind-in-your-hair feeling.
Experimotive
Jess Meyers of Belted Air Power continues to refine auto-engine conversion firewall-forward packages for homebuilt aircraft. By Rick Lindstrom.