![SR-1 cowl being integrated with spinner and cooling ducts. The cowl is assembled to itself/to the fuse primarily with countersunk #8 screws. [All images credited to Eric Stewart]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1KP.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Custom Cowl Fabrication: Building the SR-1 Composite Cowl")
![Trimming composites gets the full PPE job. [Credit: Eric Stewart]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/7-2.jpg?w=265&h=198&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")
Oil in Line
Look very closely and you will see liquid in the tubing. This is the manifold pressure line to the electronic ignition system.
The fluid in...
I Need Help—Where Do I Look?
Aside from the manufacturer’s supplied materials, what is the next line of action for obtaining help while building something as complicated as an aircraft?
Fuel Cap Dipstick (and Always Chock Your Wheels)
Before I delve into this month’s project, here’s the backstory on where it came from: I started my flight training with 10 hours in...
The Wind-up, the Pitch…
…and now let’s hit this PC board problem out of the park. Let’s make a useful part with the full PCB program.
Here’s the situation:...
Metal Magic: Intro to Riveting
Introduction to driven rivets. Learn how to judge the size of rivets you need and how to tell if you've driven them correctly.
Metal Magic: Deburring
Holes are drilled so let's get them cleaned up and ready for fasteners. Paul Dye explains the process of deburring holes and edges in...
Politically Correct Boards
That is what PC means, yes? No. It’s short for printed circuit. And the first attempts at making boards were actually made by spraying...
Spinner Bulkheads – Getting the Spacing Right
If you have ever needed to change props or spinners on your completed homebuilt, you have probably sweated out the clearance between the rear...
Tidy Up with Adel Clamps
There is so much to learn by simply observing the handiwork of others. Some builders are just plain creative when it comes to organizing...
Shop-made Blind Rivet Nut
Blind rivet nuts, also called rivnuts, rivet nuts or insert nuts, are a clever way to add threaded bosses to thin-wall sheet metal structures...
In Case You Missed It
Free Flight
Expecting your avionics software to be free of bugs is unrealistic, but there is a way to avoid being bitten.
Homebuilt or Store-Bought?
Raising the bar for RV-10 interiors to an entirely different level. By Bruce Eicher.