Change Is a Constant

About 16 years ago, I received an email from the editor in chief of KITPLANES magazine (Marc Cook) asking if I’d like to become a regular contributor, writing columns, features, and flight reviews. He’d seen my words on various internet forums and thought I might have something to say. I accepted (although I was otherwise employed), and when Marc decided to leave to “pursue other projects” (he likes motorcycles), I was asked to take over as editor in chief—which I did when I retired from our nation’s space program in 2013.

I enjoyed the EIC job for six and a half years, even though I discovered that the worst thing about running a monthly magazine is that they expect you to do one every single month! It was a hard way to “retire,” so when I ran across Marc at Sun ’n Fun back in 2019, and he told me he was back in aviation, working for AVweb (a sister publication to KITPLANES), I called our mutual boss and suggested Marc would do more good if he was running KITPLANES again. So, he returned to the top of the masthead, and I was given the title “Editor at Large”—the best title in publishing because you get to do whatever you want, fly whatever you want, write whatever you want—and not worry about monthly production of the magazine.

But change is a constant—in aviation, publishing, and life—and once again, Marc has gotten an offer he simply couldn’t refuse. His talents and experience will still be used in the experimental aircraft world, but not as a journalist. We look forward to working with him occasionally in his new role with a kit manufacturer and truly wish him the best! He has done his duty, honchoing about 130 issues of this publication (as well as contributing extensively to the website) during his two stints in the left front seat.

Meanwhile, KITPLANES—the publication he and I helped build (along with many talented and experienced writers and a small but dedicated production staff)—remains an important part of the homebuilding world. Those of us who help bring your monthly dose of technical information and inspiration continue to search out the information the community needs to build and fly better aircraft with less risk.

But we can’t do it alone! KITPLANES has always depended on the community for good material. While you see some names on the masthead and in bylines that repeat month after month, a large number of the articles our readers enjoy (and learn from) come from builders and pilots who contribute one or two articles a year—or maybe just once. We are always looking for good people with something to say, experiences to share, and the ability to put those thoughts and lessons into words.

As editor at large, my job is to seek out interesting aircraft, builds, and people—people who have things to teach, things to say, and experiences to share. Some of those experiences are in the shop, some at the controls, and some in the field—landing on a backcountry strip, being one of 10,000 pilots arriving at Oshkosh the last week of July, or seeing the sunset over the ocean while landing on a waterfront runway for a weekend getaway.

KITPLANES, in the end, is about community. It is about helping others share the joys we have found in experimental, homebuilt aviation. Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft continue to dominate the number of airworthiness certificates issued in the United States each year, and as our community grows, we have more people to share it—and more people to share it with.

Do YOU have something to share? Let us know! Our email is always there—just drop us a note at editorial@kitplanes.com. Tell us what you’d like to write and how it can enrich the community of aviation. We love seeing new names in our bylines—and you never know when a single contribution will lead to an extended run with “Your homebuilt aircraft authority.”

Thanks again, Marc—we’ve got the controls!