![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AdobeStock_51865118.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "FAA MOSAIC Rule Fully Implemented")
![My 36 year old clipboard from when I started at Boeing. Engineering ruler and fastener/fastener hole cheat sheets. [Credit: Andrew Robinson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Liaison_clipboard.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "What Is a Liaison Engineer?")
![At Sun ‘n Fun 2026, Viking Aircraft Engines surprised the crowd with its first complete kit — the V-42, a high-wing twin powered by two Honda-based engines. Here’s an early look. [Credit: Andrew Robinson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/P1020293.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Viking V-42 Twin")
![A STOL CH 750 [Credit: Mike Davenport]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/STOL-CH-750.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Why Are So Many Airplanes Yellow?")
![A Zenith STOL CH701 on Zenair amphibious floats rests on a sandbar on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. [Credit: Zenith Aircraft]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/zenair-floats-STOL_CH_701a-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale-Topaz-Gigapixel-2x-scale.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Zenith STOL CH 701 at 40: The Iconic ‘Sky Jeep’ Design Audit"){kind=tracking}
Ernie, Can You Hear Me?
Every now and again, you get to do something that just feels good inside. Especially as an engineer and electronic designer, those times come...
Design Process: Engine Size
The engine of an airplane must produce enough power to meet the requirements of all phases of the mission.
First, the engine must accelerate the...
Fitting an RV-7A Cowl
Time to start the Cowl? It’s one of the biggest milestones and ranks right up there with the canopy. Don’t fret. There are tips...
Debunking Deburring
If you are building an aircraft kit that requires drilling holes into metal parts, there is no doubt that the subject of deburring will get mentioned.
Archive: September 1997
The rakish, T-tail Ban-Bi homebuilt was on our September 1997 cover, teased as “French Curves & Carbon.” Designed by Michel Colomban, father of the...
51 Questions
The press of business being what it is, I recently found myself in bucolically superior British Columbia at Murphy Aircraft. The major result of...
In Case You Missed It
Error Chain
Panic! What do you do when you find yourself tumbling toward certain demise and none of the tools available seem to be working?
Contributors
Julia DownieOnce a year we take the opportunity to publicly thank the hard-working Julia...
Confessions of a Blockhead
Gauge blocks are the foundation for pretty much everything. At least everything that has...
Aero ‘lectrics
This month, Jim Weir describes how to create an LED strip with any three colors and offers a brief lesson on human optics too.