KITPLANES

Welcome to Kitplanes Magazine! Here, we aim to give you an inside look at what it takes to create a magazine specifically designed for aircraft builders. You’ll find updates and images that may not have made it into our standard editions. Or perhaps something different entirely!

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Putting Off the Tailwheel Spring Repair

1 week ago | kitplanes.com | Thomas Wilson

Unlikely as it seems, I may be one of those giving procrastination a bad name. Certainly it’s one of my core competencies; ask anyone at the magazine involved in the production of this column. In moments of introspection this can lead to guilt, and guilt leads to defeat, and when working on airplanes—especially building a kit airplane—score enough defeats and the plane never flies. Or the airplane might fly but short of what it could be.
The Canopy Takes Shape—Spring Boost for the F1 Rocket Project - KITPLANES

2 weeks ago | kitplanes.com | Paul Dye

While some of the KITPLANES editorial staff was busy in Florida last week at Sun ’n Fun, I stayed home—because we had some days warm enough to do canopy work! The result: The F1 Rocket project looks much more “airplane-ish,” and I’m quickly reaching the point where it might make sense to put it on its gear and think about mounting the engine. If we get to that point, it opens up a vast array of work that can be done—firewall-forward connections, baffle work, and installing the cowling.
Check the Sump Screen

2 weeks ago | kitplanes.com | Vic Syracuse

It is important to check the oil sump screen for contaminants at least once per year. This was the first time this screen was checked, one year after a major overhaul. The connecting rods were scraping the crankshaft due to misaligned/wrong parts. Vic is a fixed-wing and helicopter commercial pilot, CFII with ASMEL/ASES ratings, an A&P/IA, DAR, and EAA technical advisor and flight counselor.
CompAir 6.2 Piston and Turbine Singles at Sun 'n Fun 2025

2 weeks ago | kitplanes.com | Marc Cook

CompAir designer Ron Lueck briefs us on the two CompAir models being shown at Sun ‘n Fun 2025. The piston-powered version, with a 350-hp twin-turbocharged Lycoming, has been seen before. But the newest iteration has a walter 601D on the nose and provides impressive cruise numbers in addition to room for six-plus people inside the cavernous interior. With a simple strutless cantilever wing and fixed gear, the CompAir 6.2 is meant to be easy to fly for its size.
Garmin News from Sun 'n Fun 2025

2 weeks ago | kitplanes.com | Larry Anglisano

VIDEO A new CO detector and expanded capabilities for the GTR 205 that add audio-panel functions inside the com radio. Want to add a second com but don’t have room for a dedicated audio panel? That’s where the latest upgrades for the GTR 205 shine. Larry Anglisano is a regular KITPLANES contributor and the Editor in Chief of sister publication Aviation Consumer magazine. An active land and sea pilot, Larry has over 30 years experience as an avionics tech.
Dynon Corgi Servos at SNF25

3 weeks ago | kitplanes.com | Marc Cook

Dynon Avionics showed off its new Corgi electric servos designed for trim and other applications. Already flying in the Vashon Ranger, the Corgis are designed for Experimental and Light Sport application and use the familiar footprint of existing electric servos. Dynon also beefed up the wiring and “connectorized” the system, making it easier on the builder.
AeroLEDS from Sun 'n Fun 2025

3 weeks ago | kitplanes.com | Marc Cook

VIDEO Ryan Edmark introduces the new AeroLEDS Nano strobe and position lights as well as the recently released SunBeam Equinox rectangular taxi and landing light at Sun ‘n Fun 2025. Marc Cook is a veteran special-interest journalist who started as a staffer at AOPA Pilot in the late 1980s. Marc has built two airplanes, an Aero Designs Pulsar XP and a Glasair Aviation Sportsman, and now owns a 180-hp, recently modernized GlaStar based in western Oregon.
Eating the Elephant—Part 2 - KITPLANES

4 weeks ago | kitplanes.com | Paul Dye |Faa Dar

As I said last month at the start of the “Eating the Elephant” series, this isn’t a series about how to drill holes or hold a Cleco plier. It’s a guide, from an experienced builder, about how to think about the build and, perhaps, offer ways to push through actual and perceived roadblocks. Because they’re inevitable in every build. Probably like you, I hate backing up, turning around and undoing things that I had to work hard to do in the first place.
Brush Up Before Flying Into Sun 'n Fun

1 month ago | kitplanes.com | Omar Filipovic

Flying into Lakeland Linder Airport for Sun ‘n Fun? You’ll want to brush up on flight procedures and ground operations. Before the NOTAM takes effect on Monday, March 31, aircraft may arrive as needed and are permitted to park and camp beginning at noon on Saturday, March 29. Once the NOTAM is in effect, aircraft can land starting at 0600 local time, but taxiing to the south side will not be allowed until 0700 local.
Old Fiberglass Parts—Good as New - KITPLANES

1 month ago | kitplanes.com | Paul Dye |Faa Dar

We’re still marking time on the fuselage of the F1 Rocket while waiting for winter to give way to spring and temperatures to reliably stay warm enough to work on the canopy. After a week or two of engine work—replacing all of the rubber seals on the Lycoming that has been pickled for 25 years—I opened up the box of fiberglass parts and pulled out all of the tail feather tips.