![[Credit: ChatGPT]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/What-did-you-miss-Topaz-Gigapixel-4x-scale.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Last Bits"){kind=tracking}
![The best builders learn to combine both mindsets. They build like engineers but think like future mechanics. [Credit: Bill Wilson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_0037.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Building vs. Fixing")
![[Credit: Wikimedia Commons]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/F-117_Nighthawk_Front.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Odd and Unusual Aircraft")
![After nearly 75 years, the basic Tailwind design remains sound. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_4636.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "The Wittman Tailwind")
![Trimming composites gets the full PPE job. [Credit: Eric Stewart]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7-2.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "A Few of My Favorite Tools")
The STOL Equation
Barnaby Wainfan explains the challenges designers face in creating viable STOL aircraft.
2012 Plansbuilt Buyer’s Guide
The 2012 Plansbuilt Buyer’s Guide features 138 designs for those who prefer the challenge of building an aircraft from scratch.
Steen Skybolt
The Steen Skybolt is a fabric-covered, wood-ribbed biplane that is built for aerobatics—and doesn’t disappoint. By Ed Wischmeyer.
Letters
Hot or Not?Since it's blazing hot here on the Great Plains, I was excited to see the September issue when I opened the mailbox....
Editor’s Log
Editor Mary Bernard makes the case for presenting the annual Aircraft Buyer's Guides data in a new, more useful form.
What’s New
Find welding resources at USAWeld.com, Ztron Labs offers an alternative to conventional aircraft circuit breakers, and record your flights with the AV-HD video system from Data Toys. Edited by Abby Ventzke.
Viewfinder
Marc Cook looks at the possibility of Glasair Aviation initiating a new Two Weeks to Taxi builder-assistance program for the Van's RV-10.
The Dawn Patrol
Dick Starks and the members of The Kansas City Dawn Patrol head out to take part in the Annual Salute to Veterans Airshow in Columbia, Missouri.
Expansion Team
For RV-12 owners looking for an alternative engine option, Jabiru offers a worthy contender. By Marc Cook.
In Case You Missed It
Safety Is No Accident: Auto-Engine Conversions
Ron Wanttaja crunches the numbers to determine whether homebuilts powered by auto-engine conversions are inherently less safe than their traditional engine brethren.
Ask the DAR
Mel Asberry clarifies the requirements for a builders log. The bottom line? The requirements are minimal: It should show that you actually built the aircraft, but its helpful to show as much detail as you can. And make sure you're in the photos, doing the work.