Builder Spotlight

Mark Townsend’s scratch-building seminar allows builders to come away with the hands-on experience and the confidence they’ll need to start building a kit aircraft such as the Zenith STOL CH 701 from plans.

All it took for author Doug Rozendaal to gain additional respect for his F-1 EVO Rocket was a couple of months without it. Even though he didn’t have to go cold turkey and had other airplanes to fly, they weren’t the same. He offers an appreciation for airplanes with that fighter feeling.

Ken Pollock did not come by his interest in flying in the usual way. His father was the first to want to learn, but then when he changed his mind, his son took up where Dad left off. All this despite the fact that Ken had broken his neck in a car accident, and had no use of his legs, and little use of his arms and hands.

Some builders of Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft are builders in name only, deferring primary construction of the aircraft to the pros. So concluded the FAA, which is determined to clamp down on those who would flout the 51% rules. What does it mean to regular homebuilders? Those who are building now will be unaffected, but for future builders, the FAAs guidance revisions could be significant.

Many of those who attend the big airshows, Oshkosh AirVenture or Sun n Fun, for example, stroll right past the buildings where would-be builders are trying a building technique on for size. Not so our intrepid contributor Cory Emberson, who got a schedule, circled three sessions of interest, and not only completed each class but lived to write about the experience.

Builders share their successes.

Guest columnist Bob Collins takes on those who would rush the airplane building process in the name of getting real about the project. To him, the journey is as important as the destination, and he believes he has his priorities straight when he occasionally puts family and friends ahead of spending an extra hour or two in the garage.

Although many more than eight Light Sport Aircraft can be built for less than $40,000, Dave Martin highlights some of the aircraft he has flown and offers personal insights on why they may be the way to go for you.

After a quick and easy installation, PS Engineerings new PMA9000EX audio panel is test-flown by Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook in his Glastar Sportsman.

Its a new world in homebuilt avionics, driven by electronic instruments and powered by an electrical system tailored to meet each specific application. Resident Avionics Guru Stein Bruch walks you through numerous possible configurations for powering your equipment, and offers tips on how to do the installation right the first time.