![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
Its important to understand the fundamentals before you can be conversant in electrical theory, so lets revisit Georg Simon Ohm and James Watt to see how their laws factor in to aircraft applications.
Wind Tunnel
This month well look at another complex interaction between aerodynamics and aircraft structures that can cause structures to fail: fabric flutter.
Cover Story: Seat Cover Conventions
Now that the foam is cut and glued, we’ll learn how to make the pattern, choose and cut the fabric, and sew the cover.
Constant-Speed Props
Sometimes using a constant-speed prop makes sense, but the decision is often a compromise among weight, cost and performance. By Marc Cook.
The Garage Mahal
If the RV-7 turns out half as well as the workshop in which it is being built, itll be a winner. By Matt Johnson.
To Launch a Light Sport
After a disappointing postponement of the first flight, the Jabiru J250 takes to the skies for real. By Bob Fritz.
Hatz Classic: A Homebuilt Waco
First-time builder Ron Sieck’s Hatz Classic biplane comes charmingly close to perfection.
Flight Review: Seven into Ten
The four-seat Van’s RV-10 has been an enduring presence in the homebuilt universe, but its best years may still lie ahead. By Marc Cook.
Light Stuff
The flight-test program for Experimental Light Sport Aircraft (ELSAs) is much different from the one Experimental/Amateur-Built kit builders would employ, but they both require a plan. By Dave Martin.
Letters
Constructive Criticism (Best Letter) I always enjoy your publication. It contains a lot of good articles. Now that the atta boys have been...
In Case You Missed It
The Home Machinist
How do you turn out non-cylindrical objects with your lathe? Why, by using a four-jaw chuck, of course. And there's a way to effectively employ that 'ole' adjustable wrench that might have escaped you for years; by Bob Fritz.