Magazine

As Light Sport Aircraft become more popular, so too will the desire to learn more about maintaining one of the most common engines used in these designs, the Rotax four-strokes. Columnist Dave Martin goes back to school to learn about routine Rotax maintenance as well as safe operation of the popular engine.

Chuck Berthe Our flight-test man in the field took valuable time off from his fitness routine to do an uncommonly thorough job of evaluating...

Thirty K is OK Finally, you guys are getting it. Fred Galloways $30,000 (or so) RV-9A was a refreshing story. Im tired of hearing...

John W. Thorp has had a profound influence on both homebuilding and on aviation in general. If you've flown Piper Cherokees or know of the all-flying tail, you're familiar with his design principles, and his T-18 is still a favorite worldwide.

This month, fabric expert Ron Alexander discusses attaching the fabric to the aircraft parts using either a pre-sewn envelope or individually cut pieces of fabric. The process is optimized for strength in flight as well as aesthetic appeal.

Heres something to ponder: By the time you get to the point where you are ready to build the panel in your homebuilt aircraft, you've already mastered many of the skills and techniques you'll need to do it by virtue of completing the airframe. That statement is all the more credible when it comes from someone with a vested interest in the subject, our own avionics expert Stein Bruch.

Almost from the beginning of aviation, the idea of a plane you could drive/car you could fly has captured both the popular imagination and the hearts of some dedicated experimentalists. The dream remains alive, and realization, the author says, is fettered only by the lack of willing investors; by Murry L. Rozansky.

Author Bob Fritz got the bad news that he would likely not pass his FAA medical and was faced with a choice: Finish the RV he was working on and resign himself to flying with a partner, or try to find a suitable Light Sport Aircraft that he could build and fly solo. In this first installment in the series, he details his search for the right design and reveals the decision he ultimately made.

Builders share their experiences.

This month Home Machinist Bob Fritz answers readers letters and passes along some of their better ideas.