![Pat McKiernan has found that he and his dad who built this beautiful RV-7 simply learned to enjoy the build. [Credit: Bill Wilson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Builder.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Life Lessons From Building an Airplane")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AdobeStock_51865118.jpg?w=265&h=198&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?")
It’s a Knockout
When it comes time to remove and replace bearings or bushings that are press fit into tubes or deep recesses, don’t be that mechanic...
Prelude to NextGen LEDs
Just in this last few months (from June 2022), there has been a true revolution in the state of the art for power LEDs....
H-tails and Triple Tails
The majority of airplanes use the conventional tail configuration with a single, centrally mounted vertical tail and rudder. Sometimes, however, the vertical tail is...
How I Cross-Country
Way back in the previous century—closer to the middle of the century than the end—I learned that the secret to cross-country navigation was a...
Top Ten Favorite Tools for Maintenance
As I start this article, we are between Baker, Nevada, and Hinckley, Utah, which is quite remote. We are stranded “MOG’’ (motor home on...
Unattached Vertical Fin
Here is a photo of a vertical stabilizer attach point on an RV-9A that is completely missing the four lower attach bolts shown in...
Gone Pro
In the last three years I’ve been rewarded by the older of my sons taking up aviation in a most serious way. Every devotee...
Archive: November 1989
The airplane on our November 1989 cover was not some kind of Cessna 336 that got left in the dryer too long. Indeed, it...
The Virtue Of Simple
I had all the best intentions. When I bought my GlaStar, I had hoped to keep some of its very simple nature intact, but...
2023 Homebuilt Aircraft Directory
Welcome back to our annual extravaganza that is our directory of homebuilt aircraft. As with anything, our presentation of the kits and plans available...
In Case You Missed It
Putting Off the Tailwheel Spring Repair
After decades of delay, a cracked tailwheel spring finally forces long-overdue upgrades on a well-worn Starduster Too.
Garmins New GTN Series
Paul Bertorelli reviews Garmins long-awaited GTN 650/750 navigators, and finds out how they stack up against the successful GNS 430/530 series.