![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")
What’s New
Master Mechanic introduces the Swift Driver, Aircraft Spruce launches an online magazine and offers a simplified FAR/AIM book, and California Power Systems carries Rotax 912 engine rubber replacement kits.
Viewfinder
Editor-at-Large Marc Cook takes a look at Rotax’s first foray into fuel-injected engines: the 912iS.
Light Stuff
Roy Beisswenger discusses a rational path for owners of sport aircraft to become commercially rated.
A Tale of Two Kits
What a difference a few years make. Paul Dye discusses the evolution of kits, using the two he built (Van’s RV-8 and RV-3) as examples.
The Dawn Patrol
The Dawn Patrol crew managed to stay out of trouble (mostly) on their visit to the Gathering of Eagles in Gardner, Kansas.
Letters
Paid InstructionI enjoyed Dave Martin's "Understanding Experimental Light Sport Aircraft" article , but I think one small statement is incorrect: "The ELSA cannot be...
Efficient Engines
There are many ways to increase an engine's efficiency when rebuilding. Tom Wilson reviews the options, along with the costs involved and the expected returns.
Making the Perfect Lancair
Terrence O'Neill has taken customization of his Lancair 235 to a new level, from the Burns Stainless exhaust to a remote-controlled canopy.
Firewall Forward: Lycoming Engine Service School
Dave Prizio attends the Lycoming Engine Service School in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and comes away from the experience with many lessons.
In Case You Missed It
Design Process: Landing Gear, Part 5
For the past few editions of Wind Tunnel, we’ve been exploring the factors that...
A Brief, Un-Researched History of Cockpit Noise Solutions
There are things from our collective past that leave me gob-smacked. Homes were painted...
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.