![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")
Expansion Team
For RV-12 owners looking for an alternative engine option, Jabiru offers a worthy contender. By Marc Cook.
Light Stuff
Roy Beisswenger reports on The Farm, and all that was new and exciting in the ultralight area at Oshkosh AirVenture 2011.
Learning to Weld
Ken Scott's series on welding closes with an afterword from his mentor, Philip Groelz, who explains why TIG welding is the way to go.
Homebuilt Aircraft Insurance
Choosing insurance for your homebuilt can be a complex decision. Scott Smith breaks it down and explains what you need to keep your plane covered-at every stage.
Alternative Energies
Dale Kramer invigorated the ultralight movement in the 1970s with the Lazair. Now he's doing it again-with a battery-powered version. By Dean Sigler.
Wind Tunnel
The way lift is distributed along a wing's span affects both the structure and its aerodynamics.
Traveling Machine
Van's two-seat RV-12 LSA proves itself as a surprisingly travel-friendly cross-country airplane. By Marc Cook.
2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer’s Guide
The 2012 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide features a stunning 316 designs.
Editor’s Log
Mary Bernard discusses the challenges companies face when they try to improve an existing design, let alone develop a new product. The Glasair Sportsman TC is a case in point.
In Case You Missed It
The Back Yard Flyer
When Dick and Sharon Starks found that Sharon's Airdrome Aeroplanes Morane Saulnier L Parasol replica was TPd at Oshkosh, the search was on to find the culprits. Along the way, they also discovered an innovative new ultralight from Valley Engineering;
Ask the DAR
Repairman certificate eligibility, ELSA mods, flying at civil twilight, fuel cap engraving.