![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=534&h=462&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}
![[Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_2791.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "The Safety Triangle: Balancing Skill, Knowledge, and Judgment in Flying")
Aircraft Welding Methods for Homebuilders
The choice of welding method for your homebuilt aircraft's steel tube fuselage represents one of the most critical decisions in your building journey. Each...
The “Rope A Dope” Trick To Avoid Replacing Cylinders
It’s never a good sign when during your aircraft annual inspection the mechanic calls to report an issue. It’s sort of like getting a...
Measuring: Go To Lengths To Get It Right
Measure twice, cut once. That's sound advice, though no guarantee you won’t measure wrong twice. Some measuring errors occur before the ruler is in...
Starlink In The Air
How to Buy, Install, and Use Starlink in Your Aircraft
The long cross-country got quiet somewhere over Nebraska when the last cell tower faded below...
Homebuilding Is Getting Expensive-Or Is It?
The question comes up regularly at fly-ins and EAA chapter meetings, usually voiced by someone shopping around the homebuilding community for an affordable project:...
A Note From The New Editor
The primary focus of a new editor at a magazine like Kitplanes is where the work happens—not in an office, but in a garage,...
In Case You Missed It
Traveling Machine
If you made clever design decisions when building your plane, did you make sure it can still be maintained away from home without special tools?
Building the RV-3 Aileron Trim
Shocked by the price of servos, Paul Dye decided to fabricate an aileron trim for his RV using compact linear actuators intended for use in radio-controlled models and robotics.
Build It Better: Building a Team
Sometimes working alone in your hangar is exactly what you want. But other times a helping hand is called for, and then it helps to know you’re part of a worldwide homebuilding community.