![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")
Tools for Homebuilders, Part 1
Terry Edwards covers some of the less-often discussed aspects of homebuilding, from the decision-making processes, to the best sources for assistance to choosing a project director (and deciding if you need one).
Inside KITPLANES: Flight Review Procedures
KITPLANES has a system for conducting flight reviews of airplanes, much like homebuilders may (or should) when they are considering which project to build. Editor-at-Large Marc Cook takes you through the evaluation process.
Alternative Energies
Solar-powered aircraft may have some inherent limits, but they are also marvels of engineering that constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible. By Dean Sigler.
Light Stuff
The Sport Pilot rules allow you wide latitude in changing categories of aircraft without a lot of re-training, opening up intriguing options for pilots interested in diversifying their flying. By Roy Beisswenger.
Letters
Perils of PIOI must take exception to the statement, "The BD-5 suffered from a PIO problem, potentially worsened by sensitive controls" in the March...
Switch Blade
Weighing just 11 pounds for a hub and three blades, the new carbon-fiber prop from Whirl Wind Propellers improves the performance in both climb and cruise on a RANS S-7.
Firewall Forward: Choosing a Prop for Your Project
Wood or composite? Constant speed or fixed pitch? The choice of propeller should be made just as carefully as the choice of an engine. Dave Prizio outlines some of the important factors to consider.
Unusual Attitude
If you want to install an alternative engine in your aircraft, make sure you've thought through the issues of weight, thrust line, cooling and cowling.
Build It Better: Where’s Your Margin?
How can you give yourself that margin of safety that you hope you'll never need?
In Case You Missed It
Get Grounded
It’s almost cliche. You’re having intermittent noise or performance issues in your avionics suite,...
Down to Earth
After a reluctant transition from paper to pixels, Amy Laboda explores the options available in digital-charting apps and how she arrived at a decision.
Preparing for Flight Test Unknowns
Admit it: We're all amateurs. Unless we're actual test pilots, none of us are...