Off the Grid (Chapter 2)
Here we go with what I promised you last month. This may be the simplest—and yet the most complex—discussion of what it means to...
NPT and Aircraft Fittings–Don’t Get That Size Wrong!
National Pipe Thread is a U.S. standard for tapered threads, which we find on many aircraft fittings. Contrast this with straight threads, which are...
Eyes That Can See Around Corners
As builders of our own aircraft, we know there are many enclosed areas inside the fuselage and wings that may never be seen again...
Magneto Timing
Checking your magneto timing is part of every yearly condition inspection, but beyond that it is something you should be able to do whenever...
How to Run an Airline
Compressed air is one of the great, yet unheralded, conveniences of the modern workshop. It’s without a second thought that we blow chips off...
A Grid-Free Hangar
This may well be the most ambitious project I’ve tackled in the last 35 years of writing my KITPLANES® columns. I’m going to unplug...
Take the Glare Out of That Glareshield
Many popular aircraft kits utilize a sheet of aluminum to form the glareshield—that “shelf” located above the instrument panel and below the windshield. While...
Home Shop Machinist: Power Polishing Promise
Back in the February 2019 issue of KITPLANES®, I promised a column about polishing on the lathe. I’m finally able to make good on...
ADS-B, Eh?
In the December 2019 issue of Kitplanes®, Larry Anglisano took us on a scenic journey of what ADS-B is going to look like from...
Alternate Air Opening
This was discovered on an aircraft during a condition inspection. It really was a poor installation. Nonetheless, the aircraft had been operating on unfiltered...
In Case You Missed It
Aero ‘lectrics
Repairing a malfunctioning headset may be not only inexpensive, but completely doable.