![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?")
A Matter of Trust
Most of us have been in a Mom and Pop café or shop, usually out in the country, where the wall on one side...
Of Novices, Needles and Numbers
I was at 6000 feet agl when I pulled the stick back with consternation, pushed it left with hesitation and watched snow-covered fields fill...
Cracked Landing Gear Weldment
Landing gear sockets should be checked regularly for those who fly off of grass and certainly after a hard landing. Using a bright light...
Miles Versus Knots
To put it politely, we were recently taken to task for using mph instead of knots when reporting on an aviation speed record because,...
Archive: September 1985
Way back in the early issues of KITPLANES®, when we still felt the need to say “by the editors of Private Pilot” on the...
A Spot of Bother
This title phrase can, like so much in our language, be used to convey the truth of the matter, as intended, “a little trouble”...
Toe Bar
Uneven tire wear is usually an indication of a problem with wheel alignment. Most of the time, the issue will be with toe, which...
Make That Aluminum Shine
If there was a way to make metal parts look even nicer than they looked coming out of your aircraft kit’s shipping box—and the...
In Case You Missed It
Wi-Fi Enabled
The term “Wi-Fi enabled” involving aircraft conjures up images of fat cats shorting Boeing...
