Four Decades Old, Look At Us Now

Publisher Dennis Shattuck took a flier on a growing segment of aviation back when magazines littered newsstands across the country and well before we ever had this thing called the internet. Experimental aircraft—homebuilts, whether built from kits or plans—were nothing new, but Shattuck recognized that the segment was really starting to blossom. Not only had homebuilts continued to capture the hearts of showgoers in Oshkosh and Lakeland (and at many other regional airshows as well), they were doing so as the major U.S. manufacturers like Cessna and Piper were pulling back.

Although inflation had been cooling since the early 1980s and the elimination of the investment tax credit for aircraft purchases (which would have seismic effects in the GA world) was still a few years away, it was clear that the excitement and innovation were owned by the Experimental world. What could be better than to spin off KITPLANES from Private Pilot and Aero—and see how things shook out?

The answer is pretty well, actually. Of those titles, we’re the only survivor.
We’ve been helped on many fronts, including that most of the mainstream aviation magazines provide scant (typically) or glancing (best case) coverage of our world. And no one does it as consistently well with a durable focus on the experimenter and builder.

Then, as now, it all comes down to the contributors, skilled writers and photographers, some of whom have been with us since the beginning. Page through the early issues and you’ll see Jim Weir and LeRoy Cook. Not far into our history a savvy writer by the name of Barnaby Wainfan joined us. Longtime aviation journalist Don Downie was so prolific I wonder if he kept a typewriter in every room—including that one. We combined the efforts of regulars with a wide range of reader submissions, something we carry on to this day. I have no doubt a few new writers active today “broke in” with us during those formative years.

Our first editor, who began writing for us and some of our sister magazines while still in the U.S. Navy, carried on for many years after stepping out of the big chair. Dave Martin, who passed away in 2021, gave us momentum that we’ve managed to maintain all these years. As I said about him after his death, “For a generation of homebuilders, Dave was a guiding light, a clear voice of reason in a sometimes overhyped and under-tested world. He succumbed to cancer on June 12, 2021, but he remains with us through the pages of this magazine. What we are today was set in motion by Dave more than three decades ago.”

I have to tip my virtual chapeau to the previous editors of this magazine for keeping it not just on track but vital and responsive to the times. Brian Clark followed Dave Martin and Mary Bernard took the reins before Paul Dye was ushered into the hot seat. Paul handed it back to me in 2019, making this my second time around, having already been between Brian and Mary. Most of us were actual airplane builders, with “happy recidivist” Paul being in a category all on his own.

More than names have changed since the beginning. Peruse the early issues, which we’re in the process of scanning so you can enjoy them online with a current print subscription, and you’ll see more coverage of designing and experimenting than we have now. Builders of the 1980s were definitely benefiting from new kits and ever-expanding quickbuild options, but there was still very much a Wild West sensibility. What’s more, the number of new manufacturers was staggering. It seemed like every issue introduced a new brand, a new design, a new direction. It’s likely this rate of change that Dennis Shattuck sensed would make for a strong reader base. He was right.

The mid-1980s saw homebuilding change dramatically, as more sophisticated kits came to dominance. Scratchbuilding, while still popular, was losing ground as “modern” builders wanted more and more done for them, a reflection of our ranks growing from pilots tired of the same-old-same-old in certified aircraft and their high cost. Then, as now. During this time, new designs arrived often with a flourish of performance as their calling card. It’s hard to underestimate the rivalry of Glasair and Lancair in the “fast glass” category or the sheer number of companies creating replica kits—of everything from WW-I fighters to the venerated P-51. Burt Rutan’s designs were still immensely popular but they, too, were losing ground to kits that were easier and quicker to build, though the number of non-Rutan canard aircraft tells you that unusual-looking, good-performing airplanes would always be in demand.

Between then and now, Van’s Aircraft rose to dominance with good-looking, high-performance airplanes that gained a reputation as not just fine handling but also eminently buildable. Many businesses surround and support the more than 11,000 RVs that have flown, which in a way helps reinforce that success loop. Back in 1984 it would have been hard to predict that the kit company providing the best-supported products would become the standard bearer.

All of this is fine reminiscing, something we’ll do in more depth as we
celebrate the rest of our 40th year through 2024. But I want to take a moment and offer thanks all around: to everyone who has contributed to this magazine for four decades (we could not have done it without you), to an industry that has supported us (even as we ticked a few companies off over the years) and, most importantly, to you, our loyal readers. You’ve kept us going for 40 years and we appreciate it.

Moving On, Then

We’re celebrating our 40th with a major graphical redesign of the magazine, as you’ve no doubt noticed. The new look was penned by Firecrown graphic director Dave Weaver. Weaver wanted the redo to be clean and modern but also true to our hands-on nature. Many magazines have far fewer images per page than we typically do, so this redesign takes that into account­—balancing current “best practices” and fashionable layout styles with our specific brand and audience needs. After all, we’re here not just to make you want to build (or want to fly) but to show you how to as well. No doubt we’ll be tweaking the look as we go along—we are experimenters, after all—but this seems to be a fine way to look up from the keyboard and consider the future.