![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?")
Ask the DAR
What paperwork is necessary when a new owner makes an engine change? If floats are replaced with conventional gear, what does the change in gross weight mean for a plane's LSA status?
Aero ‘lectrics
If you want to keep your paint and other supplies from freezing next winter, try this relay and heater (made to work in conjunction with last month’s temperature sensor project).
Wind Tunnel
When unexpected drag is an issue, the cause could be gaps in the skin of your airplane. A simple seal might solve the problem.
Super Legend Cub
American Legends new Super Legend is almost a clone of the ever-popular Super Cub-the company even used Pipers original drawings for some of the Legends parts. The result: a well-balanced, easy-to-fly airplane, with a kit version to be released in 2013. By Paul Bertorelli.
2013 Engine Buyer’s Guide
The outlook for the alternative engine market for Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft is positive, and there are new additions since last year—even more reason to join the auto-conversion club. By Patrick Panzera.
Editor’s Log
As Editor-in-Chief Mary Bernard steps down from her post at KITPLANES, she thanks the team that helps create the magazine each month and welcomes her successor, Paul Dye.
What’s New
Rockwell BenchJaws introduced, Kitfox Aircraft offers engine options, and Garmin debuts new VHF, nav/com radios.
Light Stuff
The rules around Letters of Deviation Authority are labyrinthine, which helps explain why they are relatively rare. But the problems could be—and should be—corrected through a few regulatory changes. By Roy Beisswenger.
Free Flight
To fly or not to fly? Often it depends on the weather, which can be uncertain. That’s why it’s good to have IFR clearance, and crucial to have a backup plan.
In Case You Missed It
Archive: December 1988
A Great Lakes biplane was on our December 1988 cover, and the issue contained...
