![The best builders learn to combine both mindsets. They build like engineers but think like future mechanics. [Credit: Bill Wilson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_0037.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Building vs. Fixing")
![[Credit: Wikimedia Commons]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/F-117_Nighthawk_Front.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Odd and Unusual Aircraft")
![After nearly 75 years, the basic Tailwind design remains sound. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_4636.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "The Wittman Tailwind")
![Trimming composites gets the full PPE job. [Credit: Eric Stewart]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7-2.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "A Few of My Favorite Tools")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AdobeStock_125628775.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Roll Recovery, Part 2")
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.
Are All Battery Chargers Alike?
Bob Fritz tests battery chargers and desulfation systems, and finds its easier to keep a battery in good shape than to raise it from the dead—and that a good charger is a better bet than a new battery.
Fuel Injection 101
Steve Ells immerses himself in the art and science of fuel-injection systems during a weekend course at Airflow Performance headquarters.
In Case You Missed It
Aero ‘lectrics
You have your off-grid hangar on a solar array, but how to harness its power? Thats what Columnist Jim Weir tackles this month, with an array that tracks the sun to maximum effect.
![Trimming composites gets the full PPE job. [Credit: Eric Stewart]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7-2.jpg?w=324&h=160&crop=1 "A Few of My Favorite Tools")
A Few of My Favorite Tools
Occasionally I see articles by colleagues on their favorite tools (a somewhat less controversial...
Grinvalds Orion
Jean Grinvalds’ plansbuilt four-seat pusher design was ahead of its time, predating the Bede BD-5, VariEze, Prescott Pusher and Cirrus VK-30. By Geoff Jones.