Shop Talk

A major fuel leak was discovered on this airplane not long after the first flight. The majority of the fuel in the tank leaked...

I live in a pretty cool neighborhood, which happens to include a couple of locals who are building airplane projects in their garages. In the April 2016 issue of KITPLANES®, I introduced Phil Hooper. The subject of that column was a custom drill guide for Phil’s Velocity RG. This month’s subject is a quick-release system […]

(Antennas, Chapter 3)

This handy tester is rugged enough to be stored in your tool tray with your other spark plug tools without fear of damage. It can be built for less than $10 in less than 30 minutes. Here’s what you’ll need: Harbor Freight 7-Function Multimeter (often free with any purchase at Harbor Freight). If you don’t […]

Home Shop Machinist

Aero 'lectrics.

Rubber isolator mounts should not have a gap between them and the engine mount when properly torqued.

First, let’s talk about “polarization”; there are three polarizations. The first two are easy.

A near-zero-effort way to remove the protective blue plastic film from large sheets of aluminum.

A typical day in the shop for me would be unusual if I didn’t use a magnifier at least once.