![[Credit: Lisa Credit]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Experimental.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Have You Seen Your Oplims?")
![[Credit: Andrew Robinson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/737_VGs2.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Vortex Generators")
![[Credit: Van's Aircraft]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Vans_RV14A.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Something New On The Horizon")
![[Credit: Lisa Turner]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Chute-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Should You Consider A Whole Aircraft Parachute?"){kind=tracking}
Homemade Open-End Wrench
Anyone who knows me is familiar with my love of homemade tools. It comes from my dad. He was a blacksmith in my youth,...
Those Rivet Holes
In a prior Plane and Simple article (“Debunking Deburring,” March 2023), we discussed the importance of removing the burrs created by drilling holes in...
Terms of the Trade
I’ve been a teacher most of my life, but my first paid gig in 1967 was teaching avionics (aviation electronics) at a community college...
Out-of-Date Hoses
As the fleet ages, many owners and builders forget to check the date codes on rubber hoses, especially in the engine compartment. Rubber hoses,...
Build a Custom Display for Your Panel
With some basic electronics and programming skills, it’s not as tough as it seems.
It’s Not Like You’re Building an Airplane
The skills needed to build an airplane are not unique to aviation, nor are they uncommon.
Torque and P-factor
We’ve touched on this during previous discussions of slipstream (most recently in the April 2023 issue), but there are several power and propeller effects...
Matters of Awareness
On February 14, FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolan issued an initiative that he called an “FAA Safety Call to Action.” After opening with the...
In Case You Missed It
What’s the Future of Homebuilding?
Some builders of Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft are builders in name only, deferring primary construction of the aircraft to the pros. So concluded the FAA, which is determined to clamp down on those who would flout the 51% rules. What does it mean to regular homebuilders? Those who are building now will be unaffected, but for future builders, the FAAs guidance revisions could be significant.
Light Stuff
After studying Experimental aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board developed 16 recommendations. Roy Beisswenger outlines the good, the bad and the still-needed.
