![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")
Experimotive
Whats in Jean, Nevada? Most of the year, not much. But when the alternative engine crowd comes to town, the place starts to buzz. By Rick Lindstrom.
Engine Beat
Steve Ells explains the science of alternators, and offers some tips for understanding and troubleshooting problems with the system.
Ask the DAR
DAR Mel Asberry clarifies what notification the FAA expects when a prop has been changed. His advice? Treat it like a major mod.
Light Stuff
The Texas Sport Cub is the latest in a line of planes with the venerable Cub lineage. Dave Martin flies one and discusses the various licensing options available.
Letters
Digital Edition I really love KITPLANES, as it is one of the few aero publications that does not consider its readers to be...
Clinks, Clunks, Tinks & Turns
Marc Cook explodes the not-invented-here myth, and explores what makes our panel equipment ergonomically sound—or not.
25th Anniversary: Engine Monitoring Comes of Age
Whats happening behind that firewall? Marc Cook traces the lineage of engine monitors over the past 25 years.
Fly on One…Youll Understand.
Matt Hlavacs open-air Breezy is a simple, fun way to fly … and, oh, the view!
Builder Profile: Fred & Pam’s Great Big Airplane Adventure
Fred Darnell's Murphy Super Rebel Moose is a real heavy hauler, and a pussycat to fly.
In Case You Missed It
Ka-ching!
Continuing the engine rebuild after his RV-9 suffered an untimely prop strike, Bill Repucci discovers that what should have been a straightforward installation turns out to be anything but.
Aspen Avionics AT300
Aspen Avionics AT300 is designed to be a drop-in replacement for a vertical speed indicator, but you'll get a lot more usable information in the cockpit when you couple it to your GPS; by Rick Lindstrom.
Editor’s Log
Editor Mary Bernard makes the case for presenting the annual Aircraft Buyer's Guides data in a new, more useful form.