On Mar 5, 2:55*pm, Oliver Arend wrote:
Even though I am nowhere near building my (first) own plane, I do
(mostly) enjoy reading Kitplanes ever since I stumbled across it in a
supermarket in Mojave.

My background is aerospace engineering, which is very theoretical at a
German university, and I have only done some basic training in the
metal shop for about two months to learn about drilling, milling,
turning, welding and such. Building model rockets and the occasional
model airplane I have gained some experience with composites and I am
capable of soldering regular THT components... nothing too fancy I
suppose for someone who is seriously thinking about building a plane.

But when reading Kitplanes, it occurs to me that every article
concerned with a practical activity (be it composites, milling or
electronics) is targeted at such a low skill level that it seems
someone who hasn't even driven a nail into wood is reading it -- plus
the targeted skill level after the completion of said activity is
still very low: there shouldn't be any bubbles in your composite layup
on a flat surface to puncture with a pin. It means something's wrong
with your surface, your drapability or your applying epoxy and 'glass.

Is there a magazine (preferably w/ electronic subscription) out there,
which is as good giving an overview of the market and the occasional
tale about a build or a restauration, and better at describing how
homebuilts are built?

Oliver

In a word...NO! You might want to take a look into the SportAir
Workshops offered through the EAA though. The other great resource
for builders is the annual EAA flyin (AirVenture) at Oshkosh every
year. There are many workshops and hands on demonstrations that would
benefit you. The EAA magazine is also of some value. One final
point, as an EAA Member you have access to the EAA website that has
started producing a line of vidio builder hints that you might find
useful.

ALSO...There are a large number of builder websites on the internet
that you would find beneficial. My own site has everthing from photos
of the construction process for many different builders to the
builders manual for two different aircraft.

www.kisbuild.onfinal18.com

And my site is only one of hundreds.