We've discussed Kitplanes in the past, but for those who haven't looked through a copy lately, I think you might be surprised. The magazine has an entirely different focus from the magazine of a few years ago: Lots more information of use to people building airplanes, far fewer puff-pieces on things only tangentially related to real homebuilders. For example, this month's edition shows how to vacuum form an aluminum leading edge, an overview (not the details) on how to design a part for 3D printing, a few pages on engine oils, fabricating and using a custom drill-guide for a particular job, various designs for air-oil separators, choosing and using tools for deburring, circuits for powering homebuilt LED position lights, etc. The cover story was an 8 page article on the Thatcher CX5 with plenty of pictures and sidebars (written by Glen Bradley, who has a close association with Dave Thatcher, so it can't be seen as an critical review by a disinterested party, but it's also not a puff-piece written by the magazine to help sell a $125K kit, either). That's a plane that's "accessible" to many people. And the usual interesting aerodynamics article from Barnaby Wainfan. Some people might take issue with the retrospective article written on the occasion of Jim Bede's passing, but I thought it proper given the circumstances.
I have no links to the magazine, but I do know a lot of homebuilders were critical of it in the past. It seems to have turned the corner back to something that is more relevant to many builders (or hope-to-be builders). And, I like that it is still out there on racks and visible to the general public, maybe stirring some interest among people who might not have been exposed to hands-on airplane building.
I have no links to the magazine, but I do know a lot of homebuilders were critical of it in the past. It seems to have turned the corner back to something that is more relevant to many builders (or hope-to-be builders). And, I like that it is still out there on racks and visible to the general public, maybe stirring some interest among people who might not have been exposed to hands-on airplane building.
