![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")
Firewall Forward: Installing the Firewall
Author Dave Prizio describes construction of the firewall itself, including the penetrations and the tools required.
All About Avionics
With all of the ways to get GPS information into the cockpit, a handheld unit remains a viable option. By Stein Bruch.
Build It Better: Testing, testing, one, two, three
There's no substitute for real-world testing--;something homebuilders should keep in mind when moving from the theoretical to the actual application.
Got Threads?
What to do when you've stripped a spark plug hole or other threaded receptacle in your homebuilt (once the cursing has stopped)? We have ways...
Ask the DAR
Does an A&P have to sign off on an ELT inspection? And can a Sport Pilot fly a Cessna 172?
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir continues his explanation of how to make any cell phone power up a remote electrical device.
Vortex Generators and STOL Performance
One way to solve the problem of flow separation—and stall—is by installing vortex generators on your kit aircraft.
Lightning Strikes Again
Its been four years since we reviewed the Arion Lightning, and things have changed-for the better. Marc Cook had a chance to fly the old and the new, and he details the differences.
Editor’s Log
While some aviation enthusiasts such as the Friends of the RV-1 devote their time to historic restoration, those at the Electric Aircraft Symposium contemplate what the future might bring. By Mary Bernard.
In Case You Missed It
Ask the DAR
This month, a new column introduces Designated Airworthiness Representative Mel Asberry, who describes his background in homebuilding and details some of what hes looking for as a DAR. Questions welcome.
All About Avionics: Autopilots
Want to be fresh at the end of a long flight? Experimental-only autopilots beat their certified counterparts. They're usually less expensive, more capable and far more user-serviceable (if you know what you're doing). By Stein Bruch.
