Ed Wischmeyer

The prospective buyer sent out Tyler Henshaw to inspect the AirCam before purchase and delivery. Henshaw knew something about Rotax engines (a plus), flies...

The AirCam has been for sale not quite since I got it, but almost. Let’s face it: In the competition for least practical airplane...

If you have a phone or PDA with a Microsoft OS, you might well be interested in the WingX software now marketed by Jeppesen...

Puddles and mud from recent rains made lots of work for dedicated volunteers and confused parking for attendees at Sun 'n Fun. A pair...

The RV-8 arguably is the standard sport plane of our era. As we went to press in early July, there were 714 RV-8s flying among the 5200 RVs of all types. The only models with larger fleets samong RVs are the -4 and the -6/6A. It trails the -4 by 500 units, but you could easily see the RV-8 making up the gap in its lifetime, especially now that the whole kit is built with pre-punched (or matchhole) components. It has set the standard--in performance and handling--for today's sport planes.

Although the RV-8 debuted 12 years ago, author Ed Wischmeyer flies a splendid builder example and notes how the design has fared over the years; by Ed Wischmeyer.

With 4000 kits sold, a million hours flown and a loyal customer base, you just knew that the Kitfox would somehow find itself back in production. It's been out after the previous company, SkyStar Aircraft, went bankrupt in 2005, leaving builders in the lurch.

Seemingly two peas in a pod are the GlaStar and its factory-built derivative, the OMF Symphony. We flew both of these wonderful two-seat aircraft to get a handle on what either FAR Part 23 certification or the freedom of homebuilding means to those facing such a delectable decision. By Ed Wischmeyer