![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")
Aero ‘lectrics
Jim Weir presses the venerable LM317 variable voltage regulator (plus a few other parts) into service as a way to juice up a discharged battery.
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.
In Case You Missed It
Why Alternative Engines Rarely Save Money
You can try it, but don’t expect to come out ahead—or airborne—without a fight.
Roll Your Own
When they couldn't find a likely single-seat homebuilt that would work as an inexpensive but reliable commuter airplane, two builders who are well versed in metal aircraft construction took it upon themselves to design and build one;
