![Careful planning and determination will get you to your goal of building and flying your own airplane. [Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Pulsar-Sunset.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Last Bits")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AdobeStock_262642207_AGCuesta.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Winging It")
![Lowell Farrand spent years serving as an FAA DAR and is in the EAA Hall of Fame. He offers sound advise to builders. [Credit: Bill Wilson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/unnamed-4.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Think Like a Builder")
![The 160 hp turbocharged Rotax 916iS is a four-stroke piston engine with redundant electronic fuel injection and ignition. [Credit: BPR Rotax]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/PIC_916-iS_iSc-2.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "2026 Engine Buyer’s Guide")
![The alternative to bending down as the propeller is pulled through the compression stroke is to keep the back straight and bend the knees slightly, stepping away in a crouch. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1519-scaled.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Manual Starting Methods")
CAD for the Home Shop
Explore how EAA members use Solid Edge and 3D printing to design, model, and build aircraft parts—affordably and efficiently with modern CAD tools.
KITPLANES Flies the RV-15!
Paul Dye flies the RV-15 prototype and shares first impressions of Van’s high-wing backcountry design.
Hearing Things
A stowaway cat reminds us: strange noises matter. Learn how to listen for sounds that can signal trouble in flight before they become real problems.
Building a Custom Engine Mount
How a custom engine mount for the SR-1 was CNC’d, stress-tested, and welded for strength, weight savings, and tight packaging.
Build, Test, Refine and Fix—Part 5: High AoA Pitch Characteristics
Evaluating pitch stability, stick force gradients, and pitch-up warnings in stall testing to ensure safe handling at high angles of attack.
Chris Tena Mini-Coupe
The VW-powered Mini-Coupe—with twin tails and all-pushrod controls—remains a standout among 1970s homebuilts.
Second Chance Six
As Oshkosh 2025 nears, Tenley rallies support and tackles critical inspection tasks to get RV-6 N2165U flying again.
Taking a Shine To 6061-T6 – Part 1
Polishing aluminum transforms gray metal into a mirror finish—cheap, timeless, and endlessly messy but deeply rewarding.
The Hummingbird Airworthiness Inspection
A DAR walks through the paperwork and practical steps needed to get an Experimental helicopter inspected—and reflects on what it means to finally fly.
![An Aerotrek A220 perched resolutely on the grass and ready for flight. [Credit: Aerotrek]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_2719.jpg?w=324&h=160&crop=1 "Aerotrek")
