Kitplanes
Kitplanes Magazine: Your Homebuilt Aircraft Authority. We cover topics relevant to anyone who has ever dreamed of building or owning a homebuilt experimental aircraft.
Calculating Weight and Balance
Tackling weight-and-balance calculations is a task we have all faced with some trepidation, but it is so vital, so important, so fundamental to flight...
Lancair Announces Insurance Plan for IV
Lancair announced that full hull coverage for Lancair IV, IV-P and PropJet owners is now available through AIG Insurance for pilots who meet a number of criteria. Liability is limited to $1 million per occurrence and $100K per passenger. Full flight and ground coverage is available up to a maximum of $500K insured value. …
GAMI Offers New Supplemental Alternator Package
The Supplenator was first envisioned by the guys at General Aviation Modifications, Inc. as a backup power source for the company's PRISM electronic ignition system, as required by the FAA for certification. In typical GAMI fashion, they used the opportunity to create a feature-laden 35-amp, 14- or 28-volt power source that mounts to the accessory pad of most 360-cubic-inch and larger piston engines. The three-part system includes the 5.8-pound, direct-drive supplemental alternator, the remote-mounted electronic…
Garmins Next-Generation Handheld Features XM Weather
Garmin announced the debut of its latest handheld GPS unit, the GPSMAP 396. Featuring XM WX Satellite Weather, the 396 includes NEXRAD, METARs, TAFs, TFRs, lightning and winds aloft information, plus a variety of other weather products to help pilots make informed navigational decisions in flight. When connected to the Garmin GTX 330 transponder, the unit can display traffic information, and it retains the terrain alerts and obstacles database found on the company's popular GPSMAP…
New Comm and NavComm Handhelds from Icom
After gathering opinions from pilots at Oshkosh AirVenture and Sun n Fun over the past few years, Icom America has announced the availability of two new handhelds-the IC-A24, which features nav and comm channels, and the IC-A6, which features comm capability only. These air band transceivers feature large backlit displays and keypads for easy use at altitude; the light stays on until you turn it off, a handy feature for flying at night. Both feature flip-flop…
First Sportsman 2+2 Flies After Completing Builder Assist Program
David Codding of Santa Rosa, California, became the first builder to fly his own Sportsman 2+2 after completing much of the aircraft at Glasair Aviations Customer Assembly Center (CAC) in Arlington, Washington. Starting with a complete fastbuild kit, Codding spent a total of three weeks at the center working 8 hours a day, five days a week, with a crew of factory assistants. At the end of the three weeks, he ended up with an…
In Case You Missed It
Amateur-Built Aircraft Safety Study
Ron Wanttaja digs into the details of the NTSBs safety study on Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft to determine whether we got a fair shake. He also discusses its recommendations for the FAA and EAA.
Fixed-pitch Props
A major advantage of a fixed-pitch prop is that it is lighter, simpler and cheaper than one with variable pitch.