![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")
Wind Tunnel
Fixed gear or retractable gear? Barnaby Wainfan examines the physics behind this longstanding design question.
Channel Challenger
Dick Starks and the Dawn Patrol get a front-row seat to the Bleriot XI replica’s very successful first flight. Next comes flying off the 40 in preparation for its English Channel flight.
Man on a Mission
Tom Needham, with the help of his son Daniel and numerous friends, completes a Sportsman 2+2 and will use the plane's big hauling capacity and short-field performance to shuttle people and supplies between remote locations in Africa.
Build a Bear: Third Time Charm
Repeat offender Dave Prizio goes for his third strike, ultimately deciding to build an Texas Sport Cub.
The Independence Project: Winging It
Dave Martin and EAA Chapter 292 take on the latest offering from Vans Aircraft: the RV-12 LSA kit.
DIY Firewall Boots
Need to seal your firewall, reduce carbon monoxide and allow components to move freely? Chuck Dieterich shows you how to make firewall boots.
Flight Review: What’s Hummin’ at Hummel?
LeRoy Cook flies the fun and efficient H-5 Sport Cruiser, the little Hummel Bird's grown-up sibling.
Flight Review: Power Promises
Marc Cook flies two GlaStar Sportsman 2+2s with two different engines, and a winner emerges. More power!
SeaRey Amphib LSA Flight Trial
Here's an over-the-transom report on the SeaRey LSA amphibian from Aviation Consumer's Jeff Van West, who is having more fun than he deserves.
In Case You Missed It
Letters
Weight ReductionI enjoyed David Paule's article about saving weight in aircraft construction . However,...