![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")
A Resto Begins
Here’s something we all sort of know: The world of general aviation is a hidden gem. Very few people get to experience an aerial...
Archive: October 1996
Our cover subject for the October 1996 issue was Bobby Cox’s highly modified Pitts S-1 plansbuilt that had won Grand Champion Plansbuilt at Sun...
A Whole New Sun ’n Fun
It’s not fair to call last year’s Sun ’n Fun a dud. It had, after all, come back from a COVID-related interruption in 2020...
Sport: Air Racing’s New Beginning
With the catastrophic elimination of Reno-Stead Airport as a racing venue this coming September, pylon air racing must once again reinvent itself.
This won’t be...
Thrust Line Effects
The propeller of an airplane generates thrust that drives it through the air. In addition to propelling the airplane, the thrust of the propeller...
In Case You Missed It
Firewall Forward: Engine Mounts
Dynafocal, conical or DIY? Some engine-mount decisions are dictated by your choice of engine, but there’s more to it than that. Dave Prizio walks you through the process of mating engine to airframe.
