Barnaby Wainfan
Barnaby is a Technical Fellow for Northrop Grumman’s Advanced Design organization. A private pilot with single-engine and glider ratings, Barnaby has been involved in the design of unconventional airplanes including canards, joined wings, flying wings and some too strange to fall into any known category.
Gordon and Patty Gilchrist’s PA-14EXP
Parked near the Brown Arch on the AirVenture flight line is what at first appears to be a Super Cub on amphibious floats. Walking...
Flying Lessons at KidVenture
On two grass circles at Pioneer airport, veteran volunteer aeromodellers are teaching kids how to fly control-line model airplanes. Control-line flying predates radio control....
Jim Smith's Lift Reserve Indicator
Jim Smith's lime green RV-6 sports many performance-enhancing modifications including extended, tapered wing tips, and Ellippse propeller, and extensive modifications to the cooling air...
Canada Represented
Parked in front of the AirVenture Canada tent is a red and white DR-107 "One Design" registered C-GPIO.
Its builder, Jeff Seaborn, is here representing...
Fixed Pitch vs. Constant Speed
Deciding to use a fixed-pitch propeller or step up to the higher weight, cost, and complexity of a constant-speed prop in order to improve performance.
Fixed-pitch Props
A major advantage of a fixed-pitch prop is that it is lighter, simpler and cheaper than one with variable pitch.
A Bit About Blades
Like a wing, a propeller blade is characterized by its area, planform, and airfoil cross section.
Blade Inflow Angle
As the propeller moves through the air, each point on the blade follows a helical path.
In Case You Missed It
Homebuilt Accidents: Evaluating Engines
Statistics show traditional certified engines have the best reliability.
Editor’s Log
Mary Bernard discusses staff changes at KITPLANES and the new series and columns that are making their debut this month.