![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=534&h=462&crop=1 "Building vs. Fixing")
![[Credit: Wikimedia Commons]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/F-117_Nighthawk_Front.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Odd and Unusual Aircraft")
![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=265&h=198&crop=1 "The Wittman Tailwind")
![Trimming composites gets the full PPE job. [Credit: Eric Stewart]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7-2.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "A Few of My Favorite Tools")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AdobeStock_125628775.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Roll Recovery, Part 2")
Design Innovation
A designer must make a large number of decisions in the process of designing an airplane. These range from top-level decisions, like the overall...
High CHTs
An RV-10 owner recently brought his airplane to the shop due to high CHTs. He also mentioned that the problems started after the panel...
Diodes, the Universal Component?
Diodes started off life fairly simply. Take an AC signal and convert it to a DC signal. Simple, huh?
Archive: May 2014
The Vortex M912 gyroplane was our cover subject a decade ago for the May 2014 issue.
Second Chance Six
Part 7: Did you know that trailering an airplane across town is an all-day event? I didn’t.
Case Hardening
Having a machine shop means never having to say, “I can’t make that.”
That occurred to me one afternoon when I was making a sprocket....
A Hangar Fit for a Bride
Since we live on an airpark, have a large hangar of our own and my fiancé works for an airplane-kit company, many friends have...
Light Sport Accidents: A Broader Look
Experimental Light Sport Aircraft have a better safety record than traditional homebuilts.
In Case You Missed It
Homebuilt Accidents: Comparing the Causes
Do certified aircraft have different types of accidents than Experimentals?
Air Power
The art of porting cylinder heads, whether by hand or by CNC machine, is a valuable part of blueprinting detailed engine builds or overhauls, and surprisingly subtle changes can determine how efficiently the engine will breathe.
Case Hardening
Having a machine shop means never having to say, “I can’t make that.”
That occurred...
From the Inside Out
In an attempt to build a two-place LSA, one would-be builder starts with the seat. By John Mackay.