![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")
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir describes some close encounters with power regulators of the plastic and metal-can kind.
Wind Tunnel
Don your thinking caps, kids. Its time to learn about the value of nondimensionalized aerodynamic data.
Magneto Timing Made Simple
Its a question of degrees: Step-by-step instructions on how to set your magneto timing.
Ask the DAR
Readers want to know when you can use your homebuilt for paid instruction and how to convert a certified aircraft into an Experimental.
Flight Review: The Wittman W10 Tailwind
The apparently simple lines and construction of the Wittman Tailwind belie a thoughtful sophistication that even todays aircraft designers can appreciate.
Around the Patch
Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook considers the current state of customer service and its implications for business success.
What’s New
The Dakota Cub Super 18-180 kit debuts, Dynon updates its autopilot software for EFIS units, and AeroLEDs updates its SunSport landing light. Edited by Mary Bernard.
Product Review: Spidertracks S3 Aviator
The next-gen Spidertracks Aviator satellite tracker offers more features at a better price. What’s not to like? By Marc Cook.
Morning Sickness: It’s About Sticking Valves
Although its not a new phenomenon, you may not be aware of reduced valve stem to valve guide clearance syndrome and what to do to alleviate it. By Steve Ells.
