![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=534&h=462&crop=1 "Last Bits")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AdobeStock_262642207_AGCuesta.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Winging It")
![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=265&h=198&crop=1 "Think Like a 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=265&h=198&crop=1 "2026 Engine Buyer’s Guide")
![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=265&h=198&crop=1 "Manual Starting Methods")
Flight Testing
Personnel roles, emergency contingencies, communications-there are many moving parts involved in the first flight of a homebuilt. Paul Dye catalogs them and offers a sample flight plan that worked for him.
Firewall Forward: Engine Mounts
Dynafocal, conical or DIY? Some engine-mount decisions are dictated by your choice of engine, but there’s more to it than that. Dave Prizio walks you through the process of mating engine to airframe.
Electronic Ignitions
As electronic ignitions become more popular, some homebuilders will want to consider making the switch (especially given the potential savings in fuel costs). Tom Wilson provides an overview of the marketplace and offers a “cost-benefit” analysis.
Build It Better: Knowing how it works
How do you reconcile a discrepancy between two gauges in your aircraft, say, a float-gauge reading and fuel-totalizer data? It helps to have a deep understanding of your systems.
Ask the DAR
How do you know when the sum of purchased parts exceeds the 51% rule? Does the data plate have to match the registration? DAR Mel Asberry answers these questions and more.
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir concludes his explanation of how to make any cell phone power up a remote electrical device.
Wind Tunnel
Contrary to popular belief, the frontal area of an airplane is not the most important determinant of drag.
Lockwood Super Drifter
Throttling back to enjoy the Florida scenery, Marc Cook is reminded of the reasons he first fell in love with flying as he pilots the new Lockwood Super Drifter.
Editor’s Log
In some of the impressive projects described in this issue, and the dedication and passion of their designers and builders, Editor-in-Chief Mary Bernard finds reasons to be hopeful about the future of aviation.
