Larry Larson
Larry is a humble Van’s RV-7A builder and a PPSEL pilot for 14 years. His goal is finishing his pride and joy, Lucy, and helping others with their projects.
Fine Line Paint Masking
Masking curved lines can be an exercise in frustration. Most tape will not bend without forming a crease. Multiple strips don't work because...
Cleco Pads
I recently painted the glareshield section of the top forward fuselage skin before gluing the canopy. Lots of work was invested, and I...
Padded C-Clamps
Often we have both hands busy holding a part and need two more hands to position a clamp and hold the wood pads in...
Oil Recycling
We all try our best to recycle and protect the environment. We haul waste oil to a recycle facility, pour fresh oil into our...
Paint Masking
We've all seen those commercials for painter's tape. They make masking look so easy, but it seems every time I use the stuff, it...
Riveting with Mirrors
Sometimes we have to drive rivets in blind spots like under a longeron or behind a bulkhead. This trick has helped me many times...
Modifying Tools
Building an airplane in the mountains has its downside. The nearest tool store is 45 miles away so, as they say, "necessity is the...
Home Brew Bucking Bars
I've run into situations many times where a bar with a hole for a die would be so handy. It can be used to...
Lightweight D-Sub Connectors
Working on wiring recently, I became concerned about the weight of all the D-subminiature connectors, so I weighed a pair of D-sub shells:...
In Case You Missed It
Take the Glare Out of That Glareshield
Many popular aircraft kits utilize a sheet of aluminum to form the glareshield—that “shelf”...
Van’s RV-12
In typical fashion, Van’s Aircraft refused to rest on its laurels after the RV-12’s prototype debut last year, and sought to improve on an already good design. The new production airplane has changed (beyond its color), with a castering nosewheel, toe brakes instead of a grip, reshaped control sticks for better clearance, ground-adjustable seats fore and aft as well as in tilt, and the list goes on. Best of all, this day/VFR machine is still a delight to fly; by Ed Kolano.