![Trimming composites gets the full PPE job. [Credit: Eric Stewart]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7-2.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "A Few of My Favorite Tools")
![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")
![Author Bill Wilson takes a break from measuring and cutting the Lexan windshield during his Onex build. [All Images Credit to Bill Wilson]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image-2.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Think Like A Builder")
Temporary Resuscitation
Last month we tackled the wobbly control stick on Kevin King’s SQ2000. This month was going to be about making an adapter to fit...
Can You Keep It Together?
Part of your aircraft kit-building journey will require you to temporarily fasten various components together. For example, maintaining precise alignment while drilling parts that...
QLF–Amateur Radio in Your Aircraft
To find the earliest recorded amateur radio in an aircraft, we have go back to 1912 when Lieutenant B.T. James (RAF) strapped a pair...
Broken Control Cable
Here’s a throttle control cable that has separated from the housing. It is very likely that on a stiff throttle, the cable might bend...
Metal Magic: Should You Bother Priming?
Paul Dye wraps up the KITPLANES Metal Magic series with a discussion of whether or not to primer-protect aluminum structures. There's a lot of...
Alternator Woes
I had the opportunity to address a couple of alternator problems this past week, and the irony is that they were on two of...
Blind Rivets: Look Closely
Many aircraft kits are designed around the use of blind rivets—also known as pulled rivets or “pop” rivets (POP rivet is a trademarked name)....
Hobble the Wobble
Late in 2021 my buddy Kevin King was in the middle of upgrading the panel on his SQ-2000. He was swapping out the original—and...
The Other Power Failure
In the days of steam gauges, an alternator failure was inconvenient. In the age of glass panels, it is potentially more serious. Now, if...
Metal Magic: Fixing Mistakes and Making Adjustments
No airplane project is perfect. You are human and you're going to make mistakes. KITPLANES editor at large Paul Dye discusses some of the...
In Case You Missed It
Build Your Skills: Fabric
Who knew there was so much to consider when selecting a fabric for your aircraft project? Cotton or polyester? Light weight or heavy? STCs, TSOs, PMAs, FAA requirements. Poly-Fiber or Ceconite systems? Ron Alexander unravels the alphabet soup and explains how and why each fabric may be the way to go for a specific project.
Low Fuel, Idiot, Light
In the year 2019 BC (before COVID), I made a number of cross-country trips...