![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")
Carburetor Maintenance
Neglect is the biggest enemy of your carburetor. Take care of it and it will take care of you.
Vertical, Vertical and so Very Practical
So, here we are with fly-in season upon us. And fire season. And lots of reasons to have an aircraft com station on the...
Past Due ELT Batteries
There is a requirement for an annual ELT check to be entered into the aircraft logbooks. The batteries must be replaced prior to the...
Tilting the Mill Head
Most milling machines have the capability to tilt the head to make angled cuts. This comes in handy when the workpiece can’t be conveniently...
Low Compression
Usually, we look for something greater than 60/80 when doing compression checks on Lycoming engines. A reading such as this one (36/80) really warrants...
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...
In Case You Missed It
Rotax Training for the 9 Series
Lockwood Aviation helps you get a full understanding of the four-stroke Rotax.
Around the Patch
Those who plan to build an aircraft from a kit would do well to visit the factory and get to know not only the owners but also the operation. So counsels Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook, whose recent visit to the RANS factory left him favorably impressed. RANS manufacturing is diversified to weather the ups and downs of the market, and the company knows what works and sticks to it.