| RV Stuff | |
| Builder's Books | Great reference material for the home builder and a special RV section too. |
| Riveting Aides | This page has the Will Cretsinger supplemental instructions for wings and fuselage jig and a few other items including some information about riveting. |
| Hovan's RV Web Site | One of the best builder web sites. Lots of great links and very well organized. Includes Frank Justice Supplemental Instructions, Diagrams and Drawings, Pictures, and lots of other facts and figures. Specific information about all RV models. |
| The RV Journal | This is RV6 builder, Sam Buchannon's web site. A professional photographer, Sam has put together the best pictorial builder's log that I have seen. Lot's of honest inspiration. He has great details of mods he has made to his RV or helped others to make on theirs. His site also has a pretty good link section and a special product review section. |
| RV List | The RV list is a mail list that has been around a lot longer than the World Wide Web itself. Subscribe and you can receive every question asked and every response given. Or just visit this site and search through the archives for hours on end reading about the pros and cons of all the alternatives for your next decision. |
| Van's Aircraft | Web site for the manufacturer of the great RV line of homebuilt aircraft kits. Good place to go for some motivation. They have a great list of builder's web sites. |
| Aircraft Extras | Tip-up Slider Kit turns your slider into a tip-up for easier baggage loading. |
| Some RV-6A Builders | |
| Bunny's Guide | This builder web site takes the viewer through the results of his research and trials with reference not only to Van's plans but also to the Frank Justice supplemental instructions. He has included lots of discussion of each step along the way with applicable inline excerpts from the RV List along the way. |
| Gary Zilik | As you can see, I'm biased toward RV-6A builder's web sites. |
| Pat Kelley | Could you build an airplane in an apartment? Pat is trying to or at least he was. The site has not been updated in almost three years. |
| Kit Plane Information | |
| Homebuilt Page | This site has a great listing of Kits and Plans available by model and includes a link to each manufacturer's site if you wan more info. It also has some other useful links and building information. |
| Kit Planes | Kit Planes Magazine web site. Haven't really had a chance to check this out completely, but it looks like it has lots of good stuff on it. |
| Firewall Forward Vendors | |
| Ellison Fluid Systems, Inc. | "The Ellison Throttle Body Injector delivers reliable fuel metering for aircraft engines, and is fully aerobatic, low maintenance, lightweight, and offers instantaneous throttle response." |
| Instruments Vendors | |
| Alcor Inc. | Maker of engine instruments and combustion analyzers. |
| Aerotronics | Aerotronics makes complete instrument panels for certified and homebuilt aircraft. The site has many example panels to give you ideas. |
| Varga Enterprises, Inc. | Retailer of instruments and other aircraft accessories. |
| BF Goodrich Avionics Systems | Makes aircraft safety systems including collision avoidance, displays, weather avoidance, standby instruments, power conditioning, navigation, terrain awareness and warning, and lighting. |
| Chief Avionics, Inc. | Avionics retailer with pretty competitive pricing. I used their prices for my instrument panel prices estimates found on my Instrument Panel Page. |
| Control Vision Corp. | They make the Anywhere map software for the pocket PC. Also, they make the EXP Bus, a compact set of rocker switch/breakers on an integrated circuit board. Van's has a version in their catalog with "Van's Aircraft" labeled on the front. |
| Electronics International, Inc. | Maker and distributor of digital engine instruments and fuel computer. |
| EZTrim | An altitude hold unit for homebuilts. |
| GARMIN Aviation Products | GPS galore |
| Grand Rapids Technologies | An engine information system |
| Gulf Coast Avionics | Needs no introduction, a retailer of avionics. They also, integrate and assemble kit plane panels. |
| ICOM America, Inc. | They make and sell radios, both comm and nav. |
| II Morrow | Here is that great avionics stack that I'm wishing to have. UPS Aviation Technologies make those sharp looking "slim line" units and the fabled MX20 Multi-Function Display (MFD). |
| Insight Strikefinder | They are named for their lightning detector, but they make other devices as well. |
| JP Instruments | Engine monitoring instrument maker and distributor |
| Kitplane Avionics | A division of Eastern Avionics. They have the archangel EFIS. |
| Lift Reserve Indicator | This is similar to angle of attack. |
| Lowrance Electronics, Inc. | Another GPS maker |
| Navaid Devices, Inc. | This is the autopilot in a turn coordinator for homebuilts that I will probably use in my RV. |
| Pacific Coast Avionics | Avionics retailer |
| Panel Planner | Software for laying out your panel--very useful. See my panel page for examples of how I have used it to try out some options. |
| Pilot Communications | Head sets and intercoms |
| PS Engineering | Audio Panels, CD Players, and intercoms |
| Rocky Mountain Instrument | RMI makes an engine monitoring and a flight instrument kit. Lots of builders use them, but I probably won't because my panel will be IFR. Also, I really like graphic displays and these have all numeric displays. |
| RST Engineering | Here's the kit audio panel that I am planning to use (RST 564). |
| Sandel Avionics | A really cool digital HSI on an LCD display. Also, does moving map and a host of other things. Too bad it's price is astronomic. |
| Sigtronics | More head sets and intercoms |
| Matronics | The fuel computer I'm planning to use |
| Trimble Avionics | Another GPS maker |
| Vision Microsystems | This is the engine monitoring system I'm planning to use |
| S-TEC Corp. | Here is a certified autopilot, but its too expensive for me. |
| Sigmatek | Maker of flight instruments and gages. |
| Blue Mountain Avionics | Here is a company started by a home builder to market an Electronic Flight Information System (EFIS) for kit planes. See panel option D on my panel page to see what it might look like on an RV-6A Panel. |
| Salvage & Used Sales | |
| Air Salvage of Dallas | Don't know much about this other than what I see on the web site. They have a list of engines, props, and other parts. |
| Central Air Parts, Inc. | Another used parts place. |
| Ebay Aircraft Section | What did we ever do before Ebay? |
| Preferred Air Parts, Inc. | Looks like new aircraft parts. |
| Tools, Supplies, & Services | |
| Aero Enhancements, Inc. | This company makes Instrument Panel lighting. It is very impressive. They also, build custom instrument panels. I saw their display at Sun-N-Fun 2001. I just wish I could afford for them to build one for me. |
| AeroElectric Connection | This is 'Lectric Bob Nuckolls' web site. The main product is his manual on Aircraft Electrical Systems. He also has several articles. Besides the written material, he has a few items for sale. |
| Aero Engraving | This is Werner Berry Aircraft Components or so the web site says. They cut out instrument panels using their design or yours, engrave instrument panels, and make overlays. |
| Aircraft Parts Specialists | Varga does engine over hauls and sells instruments and hoses and fittings. |
| Aircraft Engravers | This company engraves just about anything from instrument panels to gas caps. They also have vinyl aircraft registration numbers. |
| Aircraft Spruce | This is probably the most well known mail order outlet for builder supplies. They have just about everything a builder could ever need all in a 588 page catalog. |
| Aircraft Tool Supply Company | They sell just what their name implies. |
| Avery Tools | This is where I get all my tools. I bought their RV took kit when I started. It was about $1500 back then. They are a small company, so their quite attentive to their customers. |
| AvShop | Looks like a small outfit with a few items for sale from Hand held GPS receivers to navigation Software to head sets. |
| Brown Aviation Tool Supply Co. | Tool Company specializing in aircraft sheet metal tools. |
| Cleveland Aircraft Tool | A well know aircraft tool company. They also do interiors. I recently heard they employ three people full time just to do RV interiors. |
| Digi-Key Corp. | Electronics component supplier. |
| W. M. Engineering | Sells Earls Performance Plumbing brand hoses and fittings. They are marketing primarily to auto racing. |
| GBI Quality Products | RV builders, George and Becky Orndorf, have a small company that makes how to videos for RV builders. They have a riveting starter kit with video that I found very useful when I started my project. They sell several other products marketed specifically for RVs and they do RV interiors. |
| Infinity Aerospace | Really Cool Military style control stick grips. They have all the buttons and switches familiar to the F-4 pilot. I'm pretty sure that I'll use these on my plane. |
| Jeppesen | If your an instrument pilot, then you have probably heard of this company. But, if you haven't paid attention to them lately, you might want to take a look. Their core business remains instrument charts and databases, but they are finding lots of ways to peddle this and related information. |
| Ray Allen Co. | Makers of electric trim systems, switches, stick grips, and a few other things specifically for experimental aircraft. |
| Oregon Aero, Inc. | Designers and makers of comfort and safety items for aviation such as seat cushions, helmets, head sets, etc. |
| Pilot Toys | Retailer for head sets and training materials. |
| The Panel Pilot | Custom engraving and machining of aircraft instrument panels. |
| US Industrial Tool & Supply | If you can afford it, here is a place to get the tools the big boys use. |
| Wicks Aircraft Supply | Another home builder store like Spruce. |
| Aviation Information | |
| Air Shows | Web site of the International Council of Airshows, Inc. It has show schedules, message boards, directories, and more. |
| AOPA Online | Lots of resources for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) members including flight planning, airport directory, weather, and more. |
| EAA | Site for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). If your a member and interested in building, check out the "Builder's Corner." Lots of articles organized topically. |
| ERAU Virtual Libraries | Embry-Riddle's Virtual Library has lots of great information and resources. |
| FAA Supported Sites | Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), FAA Bulletin Boards, FAA Center for Aviation Systems Reliability at Iowa State University, FAA/D.O.T. Library, FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation (Aviation and Policy Plans), Office of Airline Information (Bureau of Transportation Statistics), and TASC Information Services |
| NTSB - Aviation | The National Transportation Safety Board. It was down last time I tried it. Should have aircraft accident reports. |
| Trade-A-Plane | Aviation Classifieds |
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) site for GPS Data, aeronautical data, and geodetic toolkit. |
| Weather & Navigation | |
| AeroPlanner | Helpful site with free flight planning and flight planning information. There are also some premium features you can pay for al la carte and some others available with a membership. |
| AirNav | Information about Airports, Navaids, Airspace fixes, and aviation fuel. |
| Air Chart Systems | The site says they combine VFR and IFR charts into one system eliminating the overlapping updates. I've never seen their charts. |
| DUATS | This is the DTS implementation of the Direct User Access Terminal (DUATS), one of the best things the FAA has done for general aviation. |
| Aviation Digital Data Service | This is a very cool site. I used it extensively on the way to Sun-N-Fun this year at one of our fuel stops. You can get all the weather info you get from DUATS and its all free. The JAVA tools are especially cool! No flight planning stuff yet, though. ADDS is funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Weather Research Program (AWRP) and developed by the Aviation Gridded Forecast System (AGFS) Product Development Team. |
| Aviation Weather Center | Another NOAA site with lots of great free weather stuff. |
| Flight Brief | This is the DTN Web site, the same company that provides weather terminals to FBOs. I think they used to have some free stuff, but it looks like you have to subscribe to get anything now. |
| Interactive Weather Information Network | Products from the National Weather Service including the following Active Warnings: Flash Flood, Flood, Special Marine, Non Precipitation, Severe Thunderstorm. |
| Real-Time Integrated Icing | A test product from The National Center for Atmospheric Research, NCAR. |
| Real-Time Weather Data | If your are really into weather, check out these Numerical model plots. They also have some links to other sources of the same. |
| Red Sprites and Blue Jets | This site was not working when I checked it last, but there was a note that they had a drive failure that day. |
| Magazines | |
| Smithsonian Air & Space | Lots of interesting aviation information, including Quick Time® movies of various aircraft. |
| Aviation Week | This is the parent site of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine. |
| AVWeb | This is an online aviation magazine. There is a small section of articles about homebuilts that may be of interest to someone thinking of building. |
| Aviation News & Trader | As of this update, only classifieds are available online. The magazine serves Canada and Western U.S. |
| Kit Planes | Can't browse the current issue. |