Exploring

Have you checked your fuel system for leaks lately? Turns out there's a good reason to periodically conduct a thorough investigation. Incipient leaks may go undetected. Worse, when the O-ring on the fuel-selector valve goes bad, it could allow air into the system, which means your engine could misbehave at a most inconvenient time. Often, this malady is difficult to diagnose and the assumption is that the fuel selector is OK when it is not.

The new Lancair Evolution flies, and the Aircraft Electronics Association speaks out on ADS-B implementation. The Arlington Fly-In and EAA sign new agreement, and Garmin introduces the GPSMAP 495. Aircrafters LLC is the distributor for a new overhead lighting console.

You've invested thousands of hours building your airplane, and now its time to pick a paint design that will show off all that hard work to best effect. But how do you go about selecting one of innumerable designs? Susan Brunner offers some tips on not only how to narrow the field, but also how to make sure you get the paint job you envisioned.

When it came to choosing a kit aircraft to build, columnist Amy Laboda and her husband opted for a metal design, in part because it would be resistant to destruction by lightning strike and also because fatigue is easier to detect in metal than it is in a composite plane. However, new nanotube technology, if integrated into composite construction material, could not only help identify wear problems, but also potentially heal them.

Heres one instance where the sound of silence (as in no engine noise) wont signal the need to start scoping out a place to set down. The Urban Air motorglider offers a compromise that makes the best of both worlds: fuel-efficient powered cruising and exciting powered-off soaring.

Editor in Chief Marc Cook was skeptical early on about using the Primary Category to address the problem of over-reliance on commercial builder assistance. But further consideration made him think it may have a role to play in the FAAs revised guidance.

Two RANS kits return to production, Aircraft Spruce offers the Castleberry electric attitude indicator, and two Six Chuter SLSAs are certified.

Surviving an emergency or crash landing in a remote area is just the beginning of staying alive long term. Thinking about what you might need and equipping yourself adequately for the type of flying you intend to do are essential to making it until help arrives.

When faced with the choice of going commercial or flying his RV-6 to Alaska, author Ken Scott opted to be pilot in command. Having never flown his plane on trips long enough to require an en-route fuel stop, he figured it was time. What ensued was the trip of a lifetime, with scenery only Alaska can offer, glimpses of aviation history, and flying challenges tempered by friendly encounters with the natives.

Sometimes its surprising to see homebuilt aircraft kits languishing in garages or hangars or workshops. Especially the quickbuilds, which raises the question of whether there's something about buying a QB kit that leads to procrastination. Columnist Dan Checkoway ponders the question, looking to his own experience for an answer.