![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=534&h=462&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")
Drilling a Straight Hole in Aluminum.
One of the fundamental skills a builder needs to develop on just about any airplane project is drilling a clean, straight, well-centered hole in...
Nitrile Gloves
If you're like me, you work on lots of things other than airplanes, and it seems like all of them are dirty. From...
Chasing the Elusive Thread
Chasing a thread (B) on the lathe involves engaging the feed system to make several passes using the 60-degree thread-form tool (A) until...
Thin-Wall Close-Quarters Sockets
Don't you hate it when the nut is so close to a rivet or part, there's just no way to get a socket...
In Case You Missed It
Light Stuff
Inherent biases or previous experience can alter the perceptions of any product reviewer, but perceptions may change when one takes the time to investigate further, sometimes turning what was thought to be a detriment into something less significant. Such was the case when columnist Dave Martin revisited one feature (pilot visibility) of the Remos G-3 SLSA.
2019 Homebuilt Aircraft Directory
So many airplanes, so little time: over 1000 aircraft to choose from. Also learn how 10 of our regular contributors chose their own experimental aircraft. Introduction Directory compiled by Omar Filipovic.
To Launch a Light Sport
In the third part of this series on building a Jabiru J250 Light Sport airplane, author Bob Fritz installs the elevator, trim and aileron cables, paints some of the interior, installs the master break cylinder, and moves on to the rudder pedals and flaps.