Engine Mounts
Many factors go into designing and building good engine mounts, including consideration of the engines thrust line and gyroscopic precession effects. They deserve our respect.
Aero ‘lectrics
Documenting the changes you make to your airplanes electrical system is tedious work-but vital. Jim Weir takes a look at the software available to help you keep track of upgrades and mods.
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir takes a look at low-cost and free CAD software available to help you document modifications you've made to your aircraft.
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir takes a look at the performance of a DIY ground-plane antenna versus a factory-built rubber duckie on a handheld GPS receiver.
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir offers a solution for how to regain reception when your rubber ducky antenna fails.
Aero ‘lectrics
Proper sizing and selection of the wire that goes into an aircraft can have a profound effect on the efficacy of the installation.
Aero ‘lectrics
Transistors don't like excessive heat, but there's a way to beat it: an engineered heat sink.
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir describes some close encounters with power regulators of the plastic and metal-can kind.
In Case You Missed It
Straight Floats to Amphibs
Fed up with the restrictions of being able to land on water only, builder Mervin Zinck came up with a design to add retractable gear to his floats. By Don Ledger.
Carburetor Maintenance
Neglect is the biggest enemy of your carburetor. Take care of it and it will take care of you.
Light Stuff
This month, Light Stuff columnist Dave Martin briefly reviews the history of single-seat ultralights and predicts their future as ELSAs. Assuming they are neither fat nor too fast, getting the required training may still be a stickler.
Wind Tunnel
When is an airplane in trim? At least to the pilot, the airplane is trimmed when no stick force is required to maintain equilibrium. So how do we achieve this? Barnaby Wainfan explains any number of ways to go about it, including the use of trimtabs, spring systems, sparrow strainers and variable incidence tails.