Rare Bird
A biplane designed in the 1920s inspires thoughts of aviations Golden Age, and for one pilot, its a perfect complement to his Aeronca Champ.
Making Peace with the Jabiru Engine
Keep it cool: That’s the secret to success with the Jabiru engine, which will reward your efforts by being a simple, powerful and smooth-running powerplant. Dave Prizio offers some suggestions for Jabiru care.
Future Fuels
Thanks to environmental regulations, court challenges and economic realities, an unleaded replacement for avgas is definitely on the horizon, but it’s still a distant horizon. Meanwhile, we still have 100LL, which remains widely available. By Paul Bertorelli.
Modern Exterior Aircraft Lighting
It’s your best way of letting other making your presence known to other pilots, so your exterior lighting system deserves careful thought and planning early on in the build process. Fortunately, there are choices for every plane and budget.
Firewall Forward: Electrical Systems, Part 1
Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of wiring—plenty of homebuilders didn’t know how to do it when they started their projects. Get yourself the right tools, then jump in and start learning. Dave Prizio outlines the basics.
Ask the DAR
What paperwork is necessary when a new owner makes an engine change? If floats are replaced with conventional gear, what does the change in gross weight mean for a plane's LSA status?
Something Wild
When a homebuilder has a vision for a unique paint scheme on his RV-3, he assembles a team that can bring it to life.
Firewall Forward: Ignition Systems
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines...but how? Dave Prizio considers some of the choices.
Build It Better: Hope Is Not a Plan
There are always unknowns in any human endeavor, but in aviation, we must think about the ways we can minimize them.
Meet the Fokker, U.K. Style
In 1915, Allied pilots called the Eindecker the Scourge. In 2007, three friends in England bought and built Eindecker replica kits, and improved upon the original design. By Geoff Jones.
In Case You Missed It
Gross Weights and “Destroyed” Airplanes
Where you you find the gross weight of an aircraft? And can you re-register an airplane that the FAA has deemed "destroyed?"
Remember When: The BD-5 Micro
The BD-5's reputation precedes it: long in development, company bankruptcy, investor losses, challenging to fly, early accidents. With an introduction like that, who would think this micro plane would be such a positively straightforward blast to fly?