![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")
All About Avionics
Building your own panel need not be daunting. Stein Bruch offers some wisdom about how to keep the project on task and avoid the mistakes others have made.
Ask the DAR
Who can be in the cockpit of a homebuilt aircraft during Phase I flight testing? Mel Asberry answers the question.
Engine Update
UL Power engines have gained popularity in the homebuilt community in recent years. Marc Cook takes a closer look at the Belgian-made line and the people behind it.
Simplicity
Countless modifications for homebuilts are available, but does that mean they're right for our projects? Paul Dye discusses the value of keeping things simple.
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir explains how LED strip lighting works and explores the ways in which it can be used in your homebuilt or your shop.
Wind Tunnel
Seemingly inconsequential alterations—even mounting an inflight camera on the airframe—can result in big changes to an aircraft’s handling and performance.
Zenith CH 650 B
With the UL Power 350iS engine and other mods, the new CH 650 B has advanced Zenith Aircrafts product line. By Marc Cook.
Are you considering an alternative engine?
Patrick Panzera explains some specific formulas he uses to see if an engine' claimed numbers pass muster.
What’s New
Dr. RoTech introduces an engine analyzer for Rotax 912/914 engines, Planemakers offers builder assistance for composite aircraft, and Ameritech distributes Electroair ignition systems.
Viewfinder
Editor-at-Large Marc Cook flies the RANS S-7LS at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, and hears encouraging news from vendors.
In Case You Missed It
Design Process: Tail Trim Functions
In addition to stabilizing the airplane in pitch, the horizontal tail must also trim...
Archive: September 1997
The rakish, T-tail Ban-Bi homebuilt was on our September 1997 cover, teased as “French...
