QLF–Amateur Radio in Your Aircraft
To find the earliest recorded amateur radio in an aircraft, we have go back to 1912 when Lieutenant B.T. James (RAF) strapped a pair...
Broken Control Cable
Here’s a throttle control cable that has separated from the housing. It is very likely that on a stiff throttle, the cable might bend...
Metal Magic: Should You Bother Priming?
Paul Dye wraps up the KITPLANES Metal Magic series with a discussion of whether or not to primer-protect aluminum structures. There's a lot of...
Alternator Woes
I had the opportunity to address a couple of alternator problems this past week, and the irony is that they were on two of...
Blind Rivets: Look Closely
Many aircraft kits are designed around the use of blind rivets—also known as pulled rivets or “pop” rivets (POP rivet is a trademarked name)....
Hobble the Wobble
Late in 2021 my buddy Kevin King was in the middle of upgrading the panel on his SQ-2000. He was swapping out the original—and...
The Other Power Failure
In the days of steam gauges, an alternator failure was inconvenient. In the age of glass panels, it is potentially more serious. Now, if...
Metal Magic: Fixing Mistakes and Making Adjustments
No airplane project is perfect. You are human and you're going to make mistakes. KITPLANES editor at large Paul Dye discusses some of the...
Airshow Antennas
We are headed into airshow calendar time. I don’t care if it is the granddaddy of them all (Oshkosh) or the usual four beat-up...
Metal Magic: Making Parts Fit
In our 22nd episode of Metal Magic, KITPLANES editor at large Paul Dye goes into some of the tactics to make recalcitrant airframe pieces...
In Case You Missed It
Alternative Realities
Larry Simpsons first building experience was deepened by his engine choice: an Eggenfellner H6 Subaru conversion. His attention to detail and tailored modifications led to more of a hands-on experience than he expected-sometimes frustrating, expensive and fascinating. By Larry Simpson.
Van’s RV-12
In typical fashion, Vans Aircraft refused to rest on its laurels after the RV-12s 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.