How to use EAA Technical Counselors and Flight Advisors to catch build errors and prepare for a safer first flight in your homebuilt aircraft.

A practical guide to Phase 1 flight testing for a homebuilt aircraft: how to plan test cards, pick an airport, avoid the deadliest first-flight mistakes.

Buying a partially completed homebuilt aircraft? Learn how to evaluate the airframe, paperwork, and the 51% rule before you commit money to someone else’s project.

Understand the 51% rule for homebuilt aircraft: what the FAA counts, how the kit list works, and how to protect your amateur-built eligibility.

How to decide between building a homebuilt aircraft from a kit, from plans, or buying a finished experimental. Costs, time, risk, and the repairman certificate.

How to use the free EAA Technical Counselor program during a homebuilt aircraft build: when to call, what to show, and the mistakes that waste the visit.

A practical guide to setting up a home workshop for building an aircraft: space, power, ventilation, and safety so your homebuilt project runs smoothly.

One of the earliest and most consequential decisions a homebuilder faces has nothing to do with paint schemes or panel layouts. It is the choice of how the airframe will actually be made. The four… 

When an amateur-built aircraft receives its airworthiness certificate, it does not simply join the traffic pattern like any other airplane. It enters a defined flight test period, commonly called Phase I, spelled out in the… 

For many pilots, the dream of building and flying their own aircraft begins with a single, intimidating question: where do you even start? The amateur-built aircraft certificate is the legal framework that makes home construction…