Jon Croke
As the founder of HomebuiltHELP.com, Jon Croke has produced instructional videos for Experimental aircraft builders for over 10 years. He has built (and helped others build) over a dozen kit aircraft of all makes and models. Jon is a private pilot and currently owns and flies a Zenith Cruzer.
Warm Up Your Engine This Winter
Count yourself fortunate if you live in a region where winter does not bring average nightly temperatures much below freezing! For the rest of...
Can You Calibrate Your Hand?
Every aircraft kit is designed with a number of nut and bolt fasteners that must be properly installed to complete the project. You may...
Pick the Best Rubber Hose for Your Fuel System
It’s hard to deny that rubber hose is still a popular choice for many homebuilt fuel systems. It is relatively inexpensive and very easy...
Breaker Breaker
Your aircraft’s electrical system requires some form of electrical overload protection. This is usually addressed by utilizing a number of circuit breakers or fuses....
Fast Filter Replacements
Fuel filters are found on every aircraft that has an engine. They need to be changed after some period of use to ensure a...
Support Your Wings
Having constructed several high-wing aircraft kits, I can attest to the anxiety that comes from the exercise of mounting wings to the fuselage. This...
Prepare for a Charge
The battery you install in your homebuilt kit will have nearly the same kind of life as the one in your automobile. It will...
NPT and Aircraft Fittings–Don’t Get That Size Wrong!
National Pipe Thread is a U.S. standard for tapered threads, which we find on many aircraft fittings. Contrast this with straight threads, which are...
Eyes That Can See Around Corners
As builders of our own aircraft, we know there are many enclosed areas inside the fuselage and wings that may never be seen again...
Take the Glare Out of That Glareshield
Many popular aircraft kits utilize a sheet of aluminum to form the glareshield—that “shelf” located above the instrument panel and below the windshield. While...
In Case You Missed It
Vortex Generators and STOL Performance
One way to solve the problem of flow separation—and stall—is by installing vortex generators on your kit aircraft.
Near Perfect, But Nothing Fancy
We visit Visalia and find California engine builder Ly-Con going strong.
Supermarine Aircraft Mk 26B
Quick and nimble, with distinctive elliptical wings: The Spitfire was a classic WW-II fighter plane. Now a 90%-scale kit, true to the original, makes this inspired design available to the homebuilder.