![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")
Aero ‘lectrics
How do you condition a battery not in regular use to extend its lifetime? Run it down and then charge it back up. Jim Weir explains how to achieve this with about $10 worth of parts.
Vacuum Bagging for Homebuilders
Pleats, punctures and vacuum loss, oh my! Patrick Thomson addresses all of these potential problems and more in the last installment of his series on vacuum bagging at home.
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir describes how he built the airframe structure of his new-and-improved wind tee.
AeroLectrics
Why we need regulated voltage in our aircraft and how zener diodes, resistors, transistors and semiconductors help us get there.
Cover Story: Carpet and Panels
Now that you've fabricated your seat upholstery, its time to tackle the rest of the interior with a look at carpeting and door panels.
Aero ‘lectrics
Its important to understand the fundamentals before you can be conversant in electrical theory, so lets revisit Georg Simon Ohm and James Watt to see how their laws factor in to aircraft applications.
Cover Story: Seat Cover Conventions
Now that the foam is cut and glued, we’ll learn how to make the pattern, choose and cut the fabric, and sew the cover.
Cover Story: Building a Custom Cushion
Learn how to measure, cut and assemble the foam pieces that constitute the seat cushion.
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.
Light Stuff
Dave Martin makes the case for the FAA revisiting its policy on residential airparks so that they can remain a vital home location and useful national resource.
Practical Electrical
Battery facts and fables for the aircraft builder–part 2. By Robert L. Nuckolls, III.