KITPLANES August 2024

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…

ONE OF AVIATION’S great pleasures is to meet up with a bunch of friends at some out-of-the-way airport and just watch airplanes, enjoy the scenery and wallow in all things aviation for a little while. This is the heart of what has been known for generations as “the fly-in.” Someone organizes the event, chooses a place and date and gets the word out on what is going to happen. Fly-ins can involve as few as two airplanes or can expand to the size of that little annual outing in Wisconsin each July. In fact, one of the big topics of discussion inside the EAA’s Homebuilt Council over the past few years is “how do we help create more widely spread out grassroots fly-ins?” Well here’s an answer: Disorganize them! I…

IT WASN’T UNTIL the last day of training with TacAero when we swapped seats that I realized my instructor (also company director) Ian Waghorn had to put up with my flailing in the front seat of the Carbon Cub FX-2 with the control stick darting around like an over-caffeinated Jack Russell in the small space between his, er, lower extremities and my seat back. Add to that the view from back there, which is to say not much of one. His calm demeanor and sense of humor never let on what he must have been witnessing. I feel like I should have slipped a $20 into his shirt pocket after every flight —a sympathy tip. But I digress. I’d found myself in Fredericksburg, Texas, at the prompting of CubCrafters’ Brad…

BUILDING AN AIRPLANE takes time, we all know that. It also requires some skill, certain tools and abundant patience. Truth is, not all who want an Experimental/Amateur-Built airplane, with the flexibility that comes with it, have the time, skill, tools or patience. This is why builder assistance has long been part of our landscape. For years, independent shops with expertise in certain types of aircraft have done well assisting builders with difficult aspects of the project—and know that every airplane, no matter how good the kit, has a few of those. At the heart of the matter is that builders all have to sign an affidavit testifying that they did the “majority” of the work, which itself is defined by tasks and not by hours spent or the number of…

ONE OF THE FUN THINGS about our annual pilgrimage to AirVenture is seeing uncommon or rare aircraft. Sometimes it’s a new and rare bird at Oshkosh or a unique aircraft at a random airport on the way to or from. While making our way to AirVenture 2023, we stopped in at Brodhead Airport (C37) in Wisconsin. That is where we happened upon a Stolp SA-500 Starlet. It’s one of those planes that make you stop and say, “That thing is as cute as a bug. I wanna fly it!” For those not familiar with it, the Starlet was designed by Lou Stolp. The name may be familiar as he also designed the more common Starduster and Starduster Too. The Starlet is plansbuilt, and the plans are still available from Aircraft…

ONCE WE HAD the wings and fuselage, it was time to kick some plans into gear. We needed to take apart the wheels, finish up the brake system, install the electric trim, seal the firewall, mount the engine and electronic ignition, work on the fuel system and prepare to attach the throttle and mixture cables. The Night Crew Checks In Ah, the wind. That’s nice. After a 100° day in Sacramento the Delta breeze sweeps through, cooling the valley and making the heat more and more bearable. With the 9:00 p.m. sunsets, the days are long, making the evenings the best time for projects and productivity. With good company and some vibey tunes, summer nights at the hangar couldn’t be better. One evening, I invited a troop of young workers…