Exploring

Attendance may have been down a bit with the slumping economy, but that didn't stop innovators from introducing new products for homebuilt aviation. A Staff Report.

Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook takes a moment to put lifes challenges in perspective as Senior Editor Bob Fritz enters the fight of his life with his characteristic positive attitude.

CubCrafters ships CarbonCub kits; Forward Visions EVS-100 system will be available in RotorWay Experimental/Amateur-Built helicopters; and MotoPOD will produce cargo pods to haul a street-legal motorcycle underneath the RV-10. Edited by Mary Bernard.

625 exhibitors in 11 exhibit halls? Amy Laboda was up for it at AERO Friedrichshafen, Germanys extravaganza of a trade show. Engines of all kinds were the order of the day.

No hangar assistants or third hand to wrangle those tricky wiring or tubing installations using Adel clamps? Wicks has come up with the perfect kit to help. By Marc Cook.

Navigation expert Langley R. Muir, Ph.D.s in-depth study of the SPOT Personal Tracker reveals its capabilities…and what you need to know to use it most effectively.

The Rotax engines continual development over the years has led it to become the dominant engines among todays Light Sport Aircraft. Dave Martin details the engines evolution, and takes a look at what may be next.

Garmins latest com offering is a streamlined audio panel/intercom that doesn't do everything, but what it does-nav/com, music, muting and pilot isolate-it does exceptionally well. By Marc Cook.

Mel Asberry clarifies the requirements for a builders log. The bottom line? The requirements are minimal: It should show that you actually built the aircraft, but its helpful to show as much detail as you can. And make sure you're in the photos, doing the work.

The Dawn Patrol, led by Dick Starks, launches for Holden, Missouri, to witness the taxi test of an 80%-scale replica of a 1915 de Havilland DH-2. The unintended consequence of an innocent road trip leads Dick to consider becoming a repeat building offender.